Malacosteus Ayres, 1848
Diagnosis: body moderately long, its depth 5 1/2 times or more in SL. Head large, its length 3-4 times in SL; snout shorter than eye diameter, a single nostril on each side; no chin barbel. Dorsal finrays 16-21; anal finrays 17-23; pectoral finrays 2-5; dorsal and anal fins partly covered by black skin; pelvic fins moderately long, 13-27% of SL, not attached to body by a membrane. Serial photophores inconspicuous; in ventral row from front of isthmus to tail 12-22, in lateral series to anal fin origin 7-15, single photophores or pairs separated widely; two rows of photophores on each side of isthmus; pre-orbital luminous organ absent; suborbital organ large and deep, its depth about half its length; post-orbital, 3 organ spherical, distant from eye; no pale luminous spots or lines on head. Colour: head and body black; no pale spots or lines on head. Size: to almost 24 cm.
Habitat, etc.: see family.
Species 2; in Clofnam area 1.
Recent revisions: Goodyear (unpublished Ph.D. thesis, 1980).
Species of this genus in the program:
Malacosteus niger