Pricklefish
Encyclopedia
Pricklefishes are a family, Stephanoberycidae, of fishes in the order Stephanoberyciformes
.
They are found in tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean
s, and to the Indian Ocean
off the coast of South Africa
.
They are deep-water fishes, only living below 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft), and have been found down to 5000 metres (16,404.2 ft). It is thought that they are bathypelagic (deep ocean dwelling) or benthic (bottom dwelling) as they are known to eat crab
s.
Their common name derives from the large spiny form of their scales in some species.
Stephanoberyciformes
The Stephanoberyciformes are an order of marine ray-finned fishes, consisting of about 45 species, the majority of which belong to the ridgehead family . The Stephanoberyciformes are mostly uncommon deep-sea species with little, if any, importance to commercial fishery...
.
They are found in tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
s, and to the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
off the coast of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
They are deep-water fishes, only living below 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft), and have been found down to 5000 metres (16,404.2 ft). It is thought that they are bathypelagic (deep ocean dwelling) or benthic (bottom dwelling) as they are known to eat crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
s.
Their common name derives from the large spiny form of their scales in some species.
Species
There are four species in four genera:- Genus Abyssoberyx
- Abyssoberyx levisquamosus Merrett & Moore, 2005.
- Genus Acanthochaenus
- Acanthochaenus luetkenii Gill, 1884.
- Genus Malacosarcus
- Malacosarcus macrostoma (Günther, 1878).
- Genus Stephanoberyx
- Stephanoberyx monae Gill, 1883.