Mueller's pearlside,, Mueller's bristle-mouth fish, Silvery lightfish
Maurolicus muelleri, commonly referred to as Mueller's pearlside, Mueller's bristle-mouth fish (not to be confused with the Gonostomatidae), or the silvery lightfish (not to be confused with the Phosichthyidae), is a marine hatchetfish in the genus Maurolicus, found in deep tropical, subtropical and temperate waters of the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, from the surface to depths of 1,500 metres (4,900 ft). It can grow to a maximum total length of 8 centimetres (3.1 in).
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PlanktivoreA planktivore is an aquatic organism that feeds on planktonic food, including zooplankton and phytoplankton. Phytoplankton are usually photosynthet...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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CosmopolitanAnimals with cosmopolitan distribution are those whose range extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Another aspect of cos...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withMaurolicus muelleri has a fusiform body shape with a moderately sized, subvertical mouth. M. muelleri is countershaded to provide camouflage in the open-ocean, with a dark dorsal surface, silvered flanks and clustered photophores on the ventral surface for counterillumination. In fresh-caught specimens, these photophores are coloured a light pink/purple. They have 9 to 12 dorsal fin rays, 17-19 pectoral fin rays, 7 pelvic fin rays and 22 to 28 anal fin rays. They can grow up to 8 centimetres (3.1 in) at maximum length, but usually grows up to 4 centimetres (1.6 in).
Maurolicus muelleri is found across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans from subpolar waters to the equator, as well as in the Mediterranean, however they are absent in the Indian Ocean. M. muelleri is most abundant around bathymetric features such as seamounts and continental shelf breaks, and is scarce in the open ocean. This species is predominantly found at depths of around 150 to 250 metres (490 to 820 ft) during the day, but can be found as shallow as 50 metres (160 ft) during the nighttime. They can be found in depths of at least 1,527 metres (5,010 ft) at maximum. It lives in tropical, subtropical and temperate waters in the deep sea.
Mueller's pearlside is a zooplanktivore, with exact diet composition varying geographically and seasonally. For example, Copepods are the main constituent of their diet in the Sea of Japan and in waters surrounding Korea, with the euphausiid species Euphausia pacifica of secondary importance near Japan. Euphausiids and copepods are the dominant prey items year-round off near the eastern continental slope of Tasmania. In Masfjorden, Norway, copepods are most important in the autumn, while earlier in the year Cladocerans are most important. Amphipods and pteropods have also been reported from stomach contents.
Maurolicus muelleri inhabits a tertiary trophic position and, as such, provides a trophic link between zooplankton and larger predators. A wide range of fish species prey on M. muelleri, including commercially-important species such as albacores, skipjack tuna, hake, and blue whiting. They are also predated on by several cephalopods, including the squids Illex coindetii and Todaropsis eblanae and the octopus Enteroctopus magnificus, and marine mammals including common dolphins, sei whales, Bryde's whales, and fin whales.
