Subfamily Melanostomiinae

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Introduction

The scaleless dragonfishes (Melanostomiinae) were reviewed by Morrow & Gibbs (1964), who recognised 16 genera. More recent descriptions and reviews of Melanostomias (Parin & Pokhilskaya 1974) and of a subgenus of Eustomias (Gibbs et al. 1983; Clarke 2000, 2001) have increased the number of valid species to about 195 species (Eschmeyer & Fong 2012, Nelson et al. 2016). A total of 41 described species in 10 genera have been taken in waters off Australia. Harold (1999) provided characteristics, recognising the group as a distinct family, and a list of species found in the Western Central Pacific. Kenaley et al. (2008) and some species treated in Kenaley & Stewart (2015) treated species found on the southern coast. Pachystomias is placed here in the Melanocoetinae following Kenaley & Stewart (2015). Schnell & Johnson (2017) suggested the Melanocoetinae and Melanostomiinae may be paraphyletic and Eustomias may belong with the Melanocoetinae.

Melanostomiines are primarily mesopelagic, deepsea fishes of the upper 1000 m, but specimens have been taken by open nets fishing down to 4500 m. Midwater fishes are the primary food, although a few species take crustaceans. Most species are elongate and black or bronze in colour, with large teeth, a chin barbel, ventral photophores and a posterior dorsal fin over the anal fin. Maximum size attained is 50 cm in length.

R.H. Gibbs provided advice, access to unpublished data and identifications of specimens for the previous work.

 

General References

Borodulina, O.D. 2009. External structure of the postorbital organ in some representatives of the family Melanostomiidae (Stomiiformes). Journal of Ichthyology 49: 698–701

Clarke, T.A. 2000. Review of nine species of north Atlantic Eustomias, subgenus Dinematochirus (Pisces: Stomiidae), with descriptions of two new species. Copeia 2000(1): 96-111

Clarke, T.A. 2001. Pelagic fishes of the genus Eustomias, subgenus Dinematochirus (Stomiidae), in the Indo-Pacific, with the description of twelve new species. Copeia 2001(3): 683-699

Eschmeyer, W.N. & Fong, J.D. 2012. Species of Fishes by family/subfamily. Catalog of Fishes. Online version updated 15 March 2012. http://research.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/SpeciesByFamily.asp

Gibbs, R.H., Clarke, T.A. & Gomon, J.R. 1983. Taxonomy and distribution of the stomioid fish genus Eustomias (Melanostomiidae), I: subgenus Nominostomias. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 380: 1-139 figs 1-44

Harold, A.S. 1999. Families Gonostomatidae, Sternoptychidae, Phosichthyidae, Astronesthidae, Stomiidae, Chauliodontidae, Melanostomiidae, Idiacanthidae, Malacosteidae. pp. 1896-1917 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 pp. 1397-2068.

Kenaley, C.P., Harold, A.S. & Gomon, M.F. 2008. Family Stomiidae. pp. 240-254 in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.

Morrow, J.E. & Gibbs, R.H. 1964. Family Melanostomiatidae. pp. 351-511 figs 92-136 in Olsen, Y.H. (ed.). Fishes of the western North Atlantic. Memoir. Sears Foundation of Marine Research 1(4): 1-599

Nelson, J.S., Grande, T.C. & Wilson, M.V.H. 2016. Fishes of the World. Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons 5, 752 pp.

Parin, N.V. & Pokhilskaya, G.N. 1974. A review of the Indo-Pacific species of the genus Eustomias (Melanostomiatidae, Osteichthyes). Trudy Instituta Okeanologii. Akademiya Nauk SSSR. Moskva 96: 316-368 figs 1-19 [in Russian]

Schnell, N.K. & Johnson, D.G. 2017. Evolution of a functional head joint in deep-sea fishes (Stomiidae). PLoS ONE (Public Library of Science) 12(2): e0170224, 11 pp.

 

Common Name References

Harold, A.S. 1999. Families Gonostomatidae, Sternoptychidae, Phosichthyidae, Astronesthidae, Stomiidae, Chauliodontidae, Melanostomiidae, Idiacanthidae, Malacosteidae. pp. 1896-1917 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 pp. 1397-2068. [1911] (Scaleless Black Dragonfishes, Scaleless Dragonfishes)

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
11-Sep-2020	STOMIIFORMES	09-Nov-2019	MODIFIED	Dr Dianne Bray (NMV) Dr Doug Hoese (AM) Dr Matthew Lockett (AM)
		12-Feb-2010	(import)