Author: Günther, 1873
Diplophos taenia Günther, 1873
Status in World Register of Marine Species:
Accepted name: Diplophos taenia Günther, 1873 (updated 2009-06-25)
Diagnosis: body fairly elongate; mouth large, premaxillary teeth uniserial; pseudobranch present. Meristic data (eastern North Atlantic only): gillrakers on first arch (11) 12; branchiostegal rays 14-15, 4 on epihyal. Dorsal finrays 9-11; pectoral finrays 9; pelvic finrays 8; anal finrays 66-57; dorsal fin origin well in advance of, and anus close to, anal fin origin; last dorsal and anal finrays usually split to base. Vertebrae 92-98. Swimbladder capacious. Scales deciduous. Photophores: present on isthmus; SO 1, ORB 1, OP 3, BR (10 11) 12-13; IV 4451, posteriormost on ventral base; VAV (14) 15-16; AC 45-51, interspace between last two AC considerably less than that between preceding AC pair; OA 66-71, extending over anal fin. Accessory photophores: (a) head, as illustrated plus clusters of minute photophores anterior and posterior to SO and between posteriormost branchiostegal rays; (b) body, 2 non-serial prepectoral primary photophores (fishes over 33 mm SL); minute photophores in pectoral, pelvic and anal areas, and anteriorly in 9 longitudinal rows, 8 dorsal to OA. Colour: back dark, flanks silvery, finrays colourless; posteriorly upper and lower jaws transparent. Size: to 276 mm SL.
Habitat: mesopelagic, juveniles and adults at 300-800 m by day, postlarvae near surface; diel vertical migrations (often reach surface at night). Reproduction: post-larval white photophore stage at about 45-50 mm SL; key characters distinct at about 30 mm SL (post-shrinkage).
Distribution: circumglobal, tropical; infrequently collected in Clofnam area; absent in Mediterranean.
Eggs, larvae and young stages. Jespersen and Tåning, 1919: 224, pl. 17 (fig. 14) | Jespersen, 1934, fiche 75 | Grey, 1964: 93.
Otoliths (sagitta). No data.