Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) >
Perciformes (Perch-likes) >
Zoarcidae (Eelpouts) > Gymnelinae
Etymology: Melanostigma: Greek, melan, -anos = black + Greek, stigma = signal (Ref. 45335).
Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 400 - 1853 m (Ref. 58426). Deep-water, preferred ?; 74°N - 19°N, 77°W - 6°E
Northwest Atlantic: New Brunswick in Canada to Virginia in USA. Eastern Atlantic: Off the western coast of Scotland and in the Mediterranean (Gulf of Genoa; also off Spain) (Ref. 4695), Faeroe-Iceland Ridge and between Cap Blanc, Mauritania and the Canary Islands (Ref. 6950).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 15.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7251)
Occurs in midwater over the continental slope. Mostly found from 365-550 m depth, but enters shallower water in the northern part of range (Ref. 7251); prefers salinity of 33.4-34.7 ppt. (Ref. 5951). Bathypelagic (Ref. 58426). Feeds on foraminifera, copepods, and ostracods (Ref. 9731).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray, 1986. A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p. (Ref. 7251)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
More information
Common namesSynonymsMetabolismPredatorsEcotoxicologyReproductionMaturitySpawningFecundityEggsEgg development
Age/SizeGrowthLength-weightLength-lengthLength-frequenciesMorphometricsMorphologyLarvaeLarval dynamicsRecruitmentAbundance
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
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Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82805): PD
50 = 0.5078 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00363 (0.00145 - 0.00908), b=3.15 (2.93 - 3.37), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic Level (Ref.
69278): 3.0 ±0.0 se; Based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref.
69278): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Assuming tmax>3).
Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low to moderate vulnerability (26 of 100) .