Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) >
Aulopiformes (Grinners) >
Anotopteridae (Daggertooth)
Etymology: Anotopterus: Greek, a = without + Greek, noton = back + Greek, pteron = fin (Ref. 45335); pharao: pharao because of its resemblance to Egyptian kings (Ref. 6885).
Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 0 - 5100 m (Ref. 58018). Deep-water, preferred ?; 66°N - 27°S, 69°W - 1°W (Ref. 31260)
North Atlantic: from Canada (Ref. 5951), Greenland and Davis Strait, to Madeira I. and Canary Is. (Ref. 31260).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 96.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 31260)
Anal
soft rays: 12 - 15;
Vertebrae: 77 - 81. In adults, head depth 23.2-26.8% of lower jaw length. Postorbital area 5.5-7.6% SL or 28.8-33.3% (less than 3 times smaller than HL). Rear edge of gill cover overlaps with the middle of the 4th vertebrae. Postadipose distance 6-7.4% SL (Ref. 31260).
Epimesopelagic species. Juveniles and fry observed exclusively within the central-circle current and its periphery; large adults caught mainly in boreal and sub-arctic waters. Feeds mainly on small and moderate-sized mesopelagic fishes; the largest Paralepis coregonoides and Arctozenus risso, had body length of 28-30 cm; a specimen caught from the southern region of Reykjanes Ridge had 12 individuals of Sebastes mentella ranging from 4.5-5 cm. Stomachs of those caught in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge have small squids (Ref. 31260).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Kukuev, E.I., 1998. Systematics and distribution in the world ocean of daggertooth fishes of the genus Anotopterus (Anotopteridae, Aulopiformes). J. Ichthyol. 38(9):716-729. (Ref. 31260)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
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