Fishwise Professional

View Mode Family Opisthoproctidae Jordan 1918   Family Family   Hierarchy Hierarchy   General General   Description   spookfishes or barreleyes AuthorWI   Jordan [D. S.] AuthorNI   Jordan Year   1918 Status   Valid Notes   Body slender and subcylindrical, and elongate or short, laterally compressed; head small to moderate; eye tubular (except in <b><i>Bathylychnops&nbsp;</i></b> ), directed anteriorly, dorsally, or dorsolaterally; interorbital space very narrow (the width less than 1/2 the depth of the caudal peduncle); snout equal or longer than eye diameter; mouth very small; praemaxillary reduced or absent; teeth minute; vomer with teeth; dentary and palatine teeth present or absent; no teeth on maxilla; branchiostegal rays 2-4; postcleithra, mesocoracoids, opisthotic, and orbitosphenoid absent. No spines in fins; dorsal fin posteriorly placed, with 8-16 rays; dorsal adipose fin present or absent; pectoral fins lateral, with 9-20 rays; pelvic fins abdominal, with 7-12 rays; anal fin behind the end dorsal fin, with 8-14 rays; lateral line running in midline of body (not continuing onto caudal fin); scales large, cycloid, decidious; photophores in some; gasbladder present or absent. Body dusky, brown or blackish, often blotched. Length usualy 10-15 cm, maximum 50 cm. Meso- and bathypelagic fishes distributed in tropical and temperate waters. Major revision: Cohen 1964 [ref. 26699]. The family includes 11 species in 6 genera.</i></b> Class   Osteichthyes Order   Argentiniformes Suborder   --- Superfamily   --- Loading…