Scopelopsis multipunctatus
Scopelopsis multipunctatus, the Multispotted Lanternfish, is a species of lanternfish. This species grows to a length of 9.5 cm (3.7 in).[1]
Scopelopsis multipunctatus | |
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Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1) | |
Scientific classification | |
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Genus: | Scopelopsis A. B. Brauer, 1906 |
Species: | S. multipunctatus |
Binomial name | |
Scopelopsis multipunctatus A. B. Brauer, 1906 Brauer. "scopelopsis multipunctatus". fishbase. | |
Description
Scopelopsis multipunctatus has round eyes, a long and slender body, and a forked homocercal caudal fin.[2]
Larvae
Scopelopsis multipunctatus' larvae are slender and range in size anywhere from 5-18 mm (0.2-0.7 in), with its head spanning about a quarter of the body length.[2] Their eyes are large at younger stages and decrease in size relative to their head over time.[2]
They develop a pattern of melanophores along the ventral side of the body, as well as the head, dorsal fin, and caudal fin, as they mature.[2] Photophores also develop along the ventral half of the body during the larval stages of the multispotted lanternfish.[2]
Distribution and habitat
Scopelopsis multipunctatus follow a subtropical zoogeographic pattern.[3] Its distribution is restricted to the Southern Hemisphere, ranging from 15-25° S in the Pacific Ocean and 23-29° S in the Indian Ocean.[4][5]
They can be found in both warm and cold waters of the ocean.[1]
Diet
The diet of Scopelopsis multipunctatus consists of copepods; amphipods and euphausiids; larval molluscs, ostracods, polychaetes, and siphonophores; and salps.[1]
References
- Brandt, Stephen B. (1981). "Effects of a Warm-Core Eddy on Fish Distributions in the Tasman Sea Off East Australia". Marine Ecology Progress Series. 6: 19–33. Bibcode:1981MEPS....6...19B. doi:10.3354/meps006019 – via ResearchGate.
- Moser, H. Geoffrey (1972). "DEVELOPMENT OF THE LANTERNFISH, SCOPELOPSIS MULTIPUNCTATUS BRAUER 1906, WITH A DISCUSSION OF ITS PHYLOGENETIC POSITION IN THE FAMILY MYCTOPHIDAE AND ITS ROLE IN A PROPOSED MECHANISM FOR THE EVOLUTION OF PHOTOPHORE PATTERNS IN LANTERNFISHES" (PDF). Fishery Bulletin. 70: 541–564 – via NOAA.
- Rubiés, Pere (1985). "Zoogeography of the Lanternfishes (Osteichthyes, Myctophidae) of Southwest Africa" (PDF). Instituto de Investigaciones Pesqueras. 1: 573–586 – via CSIC Research.
- Wisner, Robert L. (1976). The taxonomy and distribution of lantern fishes (family Myctophidae) of the eastern Pacific Ocean. Bay St. Louis, Mississippi: Navy Ocean Research and Development Activity. pp. 1–299.
- Nafpaktitis, B. G. (1969). Lantern fishes (Family Myctophidae) collected during cruises 3 and 6 of the R/V Anton Bruun in the Indian Ocean. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. pp. 1–79.