Melanocetus murrayi, Murray's abyssal anglerfish

Melanocetus murrayi Günther, 1887

Murray's abyssal anglerfish
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Melanocetus murrayi   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Melanocetus murrayi (Murray\
Melanocetus murrayi
Picture by Ho, H.-C.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Lophiiformes (Anglerfishes) > Melanocetidae (Black Seadevils)
Etymology: Melanocetus: Greek, 'melas' or 'melanos' = black + Greek, 'ketos' = any large sea creature, more often referring to a whale (Ref. 86949).
Eponymy: Sir John Murray (1841–1914) was a Canadian marine naturalist often described as the founder of modern oceanography. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on author: Günther.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 100 - 6370 m (Ref. 58302), usually 1000 - 2500 m (Ref. 58302). Deep-water; 65°N - 60°S, 180°W - 180°E

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Tropical to temperate parts of all oceans.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 2.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4491); 12.0 cm TL (female)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal soft rays (total): 12 - 14; Anal soft rays: 4. Distinguishing characteristics of metamorphosed female: deeply concave anterior margin of vomer, least outside width between frontals 9.1-17.8% SL; upper jaw with 34-178 teeth, lower jaw 46-142 teeth; length of longest tooth in lower jaw 7.7-16.7% SL; width of pectoral fin lobe 6.1-8.9% SL; width of escal bulb 1.9-5.1% SL; length of illicium 23.1-37.2% SL; esca with minute crests or absent; skin with minute spinules restricted to caudal peduncle; relatively thin integument 0.48 mm (Ref. 86949). Distinguishing characteristics of metamorphosed male: upper denticular with 9-12 ventrally directed anterior teeth and posteromedial series of 3-5 teeth; lower denticular 10-13 teeth; posterior nostril contiguous with eye; 12-14 olfactory lamellae; skin naked or with few scattered dermal spinules (Ref. 86949).
Body shape (shape guide): short and / or deep.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Meso- (Ref. 58302) and bathypelagic (Ref. 58302, 75154). Males dwarfed, non-parasitic (Ref. 4491).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Bertelsen, E., 1990. Melanocetidae. p. 492-493. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 1. (Ref. 4491)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2 (Global))

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 09 May 2013

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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