Author: Johnson, 1863
Diretmus argenteus Johnson, 1863
Status in World Register of Marine Species:
Accepted name: Diretmus argenteus Johnson, 1864 (updated 2009-06-25)
Diagnosis: metamorphosis from juvenile to adult stages. Juveniles: cephalic and preopercular spines, both directed caudally. Adults: no spines on head; body, without caudal peduncle, about as long as high. D 25-29; A (18) 19-24; P (16) 17-20. Vertebrae 27-29. Colour: silvery. Size: to 12.5 cm SL.
Habitat: mesopelagic; juveniles from near surface to about 250 m depth; adults mainly in a depth range from 500 to 700 m. Behaviour: see family. Food: see family. Reproduction: in subtropical and tropical waters all the year round.
Distribution: known from all oceans from temperate to tropical waters; not recorded from the Mediterranean.
Eggs, larvae and young stages. Maul, 1954a: 23-24, fig. 7 | Post, 1976: 97 (key), fig. 1 a-f. | all material reported, except specimens by Barnard, 1944, and Maul, 1949d, are young stages. | Roule and Angel, 1930: 78, pl. 4 (fig. 100) | Parr, 1933b: 6-8, fig. 2.
Otoliths (sagitta). No data.