Author: Krøyer, 1868
Paralepis atlantica Krøyer, 1868
Status in World Register of Marine Species:
Accepted name: Magnisudis atlantica (Krøyer, 1868) (updated 2009-06-25)
Diagnosis: body modera,tely elongate, its depth about 6-10 times in SL. Head about 4 times in SL (about 3 times in young); upper jaw about equal to snout, its tip distinctly behind nostril; gillrakers present, longest on each bony base distinctly less than twice the next longest. Dorsal fin well behind midpoint of body, with 9-11 finrays, adipose dorsal fin near tail; pectoral finrays 15-17; pelvic fins below dorsal fin origin, with 9 finrays; anal fin far back, with 21-25 finrays. Lateral line scales 55-64. Vertebrae 60-73. Colour: brownish, lighter below; 3 (rarely 4) peritoneal sections in young. Size: to 50 cm.
Habitat: meso- to bathypelagic as adults, some large individuals approaching the coast and specimens even found ashore (e.g. the type). Food: carnivorous, on fishes and shrimps. Reproduction: throughout the year in subtropical and temperate waters.
Distribution: throughout area, except Mediterranean. Elsewhere, all oceans from Arctic to Antarctic.
Eggs, larvae and young stages. Ege, 1930: 29-45 | Rofen, 1966: 265-268.
Otoliths (sagitta). No data.
Subspecies
P. atlantica atlantica: 63-66 vertebrae; North Atlantic.
P. atlantica prionosa Rofen, 1963: 68-73 vertebrae; South Atlantic.
P. atlantica indica (Ege, 1953): 60-62 vertebrae; Indian Ocean and tropical western Pacific.