Author: Richardson, 1848
Nemichthys scolopaceus Richardson, 1848
Status in World Register of Marine Species:
Accepted name: Nemichthys scolopaceus Richardson, 1848 (updated 2009-06-25)
Diagnosis: body extremely long, anus below pectoral fins. Anterior nostril non-tubular in unripe specimens. Upper jaw slightly longer than lower jaw; tip of jaws pointed. Teeth relatively small, posteriorly directed. Dorsal, caudal and anal fins confluent; basal portion of dorsal finrays at midbody strong and spine-like. Post-orbital pores 3-20 (mean 10.7), often arranged in an irregular row; preopercular pores 2-18 (mean 7.2). Lateral line complete; rectangle formed by lateral line pores in each segment near tip of pectoral fins slightly higher than long. Larvae greater than 100 mm TL with 240-260 preanal myomeres. Colour: body more or less pigmented, or upper part a little lighter, but no black spots as patch on belly, and without black bars between vertebrae. Size: to 1,300 mm, usually less.
Habitat: oceanic, captured pelagically from surface down to 2,000 m. Food: probably exclusively crustaceans. Reproduction: strong sexual dimorphism; oviparous; leptocephalus larva well known, described by Roule and Bertin (1929) as Leptocephalus 'A'.
Distribution: western Mediterranean and from 30° to 55° N in the Atlantic. Elsewhere, cosmopolitan in tropical and temperate seas.
Eggs larvae and young stages. Roule and Bertin, 1929: 61-111 | Beebe and Crane, 1937: 357-366 | Castle, 1965: 132-136; 1969: 23-24 (synonyms of larval stages).
Otoliths (sagitta). No data.