Australian Biological Resources Study

Australian Faunal Directory

Stomiidae: Idiacanthinae

Stomiidae: Idiacanthinae

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CAAB: 37113000

Subfamily Idiacanthinae

Black Dragonfishes, Sawtailfishes, Serpent Dragon, Stalk-eyed Marvel


Compiler and date details

14 May 2020 - John R. Paxton, Jennifer E. Gates & Douglass F. Hoese

John R. Paxton, Jennifer E. Gates & Douglass F. Hoese

Introduction

The black dragonfishes (Idiacanthinae) were reviewed and illustrated most recently by Novikova (1967), who recognised one genus and three species We follow Nelson et al. in treating the group as a subfamily. Two species have been recorded from Australian waters. Harold (1999) treated the group as a separate family. Australian species area were treated by Stewart & Kenaley (2015).

Idiacanthines are meso-bathypelagic in all tropical and temperate waters and have been recorded to 2000 m in depth. Food is mostly other midwater fishes. Black dragonfishes are strikingly sexually dimorphic, with males attaining only 15% of the maximum length (48 cm) of females, lacking a chin barbel and ventral fins, and having a postocular light organ as large as the eye. Dragonfishes lack hexagonal pigment areas and scales, but have series of smaller photophores and two ventral rows of larger photophores. The extraordinary larvae, with eyes borne on the ends of long stalks, were originally described as a distinct genus, Stylophthalmus.

We thank R.H. Gibbs of USNM for his comments on an earlier version of this family account.

 

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.
Published As part of group Action Date Action Type Compiler(s)
11-Sep-2020 STOMIIFORMES 06-Nov-2019 MODIFIED Dr Dianne Bray (NMV) Dr Doug Hoese (AM) Dr Matthew Lockett (AM)
12-Feb-2010 (import)