Stomiidae
11 species
Stomiidae is a family of deep-sea ray-finned fish, including the barbeled dragonfishes. They are quite small, usually around 15 cm, up to 26 cm. These fish are apex predators and have enormous jaws filled with fang-like teeth. They are also able to hinge the neurocranium and upper-jaw system, which leads to the opening of the jaw to more than 100 degrees. This ability allows them to consume extremely large prey, often 50% greater than their standard length.
The family Stomiidae can be found in all oceans. They also exist at a wide range of depths between the surface and thousands of meters deep into the bathypelagic zone, depending on the water's ideal feeding and breeding conditions. There is also some evidence that certain species within the family Stomiidae exhibit migratory behavior. Temperature, salinity, oxygen, and fluorescence profiles of an area can impact some species' (like Sloane's viperfish Chauliodus sloani) preferred habitat changes from day to night with DVM.
Brian Coad, ichthyologist from the Canada Museum of Nature once observed that there are "64 reported from Canada, 5 of which reach the Arctic ''. These species are most commonly found in the mesopelagic to bathypelagic regions at a depth of 1000m-4000m, and in the Arctic, most samples of these species have been captured along the Davis Strait. The average temperature in these waters is approximately 3–4 °C Some examples of species discovered in that region are: Astronesthes cf. richardsoni; Borostomia antarcticus; Chauliodus sloani; Malacosteus niger; Rhadinesthes decimus; Stomias boa.
Species of Antarctic dragonfish are found in the Southern Ocean. There are 16 species in the Antarctic, all belonging to the suborder Notothenioidei. Two species in this region that are currently generating interest in further scientific study are sister species Acanthodraco dewitti and Psilodraco breviceps.
Stomiidae is a family of deep-sea ray-finned fish, including the barbeled dragonfishes. They are quite small, usually around 15 cm, up to 26 cm. These fish are apex predators and have enormous jaws filled with fang-like teeth. They are also able to hinge the neurocranium and upper-jaw system, which leads to the opening of the jaw to more than 100 degrees. This ability allows them to consume extremely large prey, often 50% greater than their standard length.
The family Stomiidae can be found in all oceans. They also exist at a wide range of depths between the surface and thousands of meters deep into the bathypelagic zone, depending on the water's ideal feeding and breeding conditions. There is also some evidence that certain species within the family Stomiidae exhibit migratory behavior. Temperature, salinity, oxygen, and fluorescence profiles of an area can impact some species' (like Sloane's viperfish Chauliodus sloani) preferred habitat changes from day to night with DVM.
Brian Coad, ichthyologist from the Canada Museum of Nature once observed that there are "64 reported from Canada, 5 of which reach the Arctic ''. These species are most commonly found in the mesopelagic to bathypelagic regions at a depth of 1000m-4000m, and in the Arctic, most samples of these species have been captured along the Davis Strait. The average temperature in these waters is approximately 3–4 °C Some examples of species discovered in that region are: Astronesthes cf. richardsoni; Borostomia antarcticus; Chauliodus sloani; Malacosteus niger; Rhadinesthes decimus; Stomias boa.
Species of Antarctic dragonfish are found in the Southern Ocean. There are 16 species in the Antarctic, all belonging to the suborder Notothenioidei. Two species in this region that are currently generating interest in further scientific study are sister species Acanthodraco dewitti and Psilodraco breviceps.
