Author: (Günther, 1878)
Halosauropsis macrochir (Günther, 1878)
Status in World Register of Marine Species:
Accepted name: Halosauropsis macrochir (Günther, 1878) (updated 2009-06-25)
Diagnosis: body elongate, but fairly robust anteriorly. Dorsal finrays 11-13; ventral finrays I + 9; pectoral finrays I + 11-12. First ray of dorsal fin long and segmented. Pectoral fin long and narrow, reaching to base of dorsal fin. Dorsal and pelvic fins inserted opposite each other. Top of snout and head scaleless, opercle scaled. Lateral line a distinct wide black sheath along body. Preanal lateral line scales 26-32. Pyloric caeca in a double row, unpigmented, 10-12. Colour: bluishblack; snout, top of head, gill isthmus and branchiostegal membranes black. Size: to about 90 cm (gnathoproctal length to 32 cm).
Habitat: benthopelagic on the lower slope and rise between 1,100 and 3,200 m (4 2° C). Behaviour: hovers above or rests on bottom. Long, slender pectorals are commonly held erect pointing upward and forward; these may serve a sensory function. Food: isopods, amphipods, decapods, mysids, molluscs, echiurids and echinoderms. Large amounts of sediment are also ingested. Reproduction: in the western North Atlantic gravid females have been taken year-round; a female to male sex ratio of 2:1 has been determined. Presumed leptocephalus larva as yet undescribed.
Distribution: from Ireland and southwards. Elsewhere, on the continental slope on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean except at tropical latitudes, also known from the western Indian Ocean and off New Zealand.
Eggs, larvae and young stages. Collett, 1896: 152 | Zugmayer, 1911: 13.
Otoliths (sagitta). No data.