Sigmops bathyphilus explained

Sigmops bathyphilus, commonly called the spark anglemouth, deepsea fangjaw or deepsea lightfish,^[1] is a species of fish in the family Gonostomatidae (anglemouths).^[2]

Description

Sigmops bathyphilus is black in colour, with a maximum length of for the female and for the male. It has 11–15 dorsal soft rays and 22–26 anal soft rays.^[3] It has very small photophores.^[4] It has a few enlarged teeth on the roof of the mouth.^[5]

Habitat

Sigmops bathyphilus lives in the Atlantic Ocean, southern Indian Ocean, off the south coast of Australia and South Pacific Ocean.^[6] It is bathypelagic, living at depths of, hence its specific name, from Greek words meaning "depth-loving".^{[3] [7]}

Behaviour

Sigmops bathyphilus undergoes sex reversal (from male to female) at a length of, with females spawning once they reach . Some individuals are "super males", who do not change sex and are the principal spawners.^{[3] [8]}

Notes and References

1. Book: Committee, Flora and Fauna of South Australia Handbooks. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. July 10, 1994. State Print. 9780724366057. Google Books.
2. Book: Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United. Identification guide to the mesopelagic fishes of the central and south east Atlantic Ocean. August 1, 2020. Food & Agriculture Org.. 9789251330944. Google Books.
3. Web site: Sigmops bathyphilus, Spark anglemouth. www.fishbase.se.
4. Web site: Sigmops bathyphilus. fishesofaustralia.net.au.
5. Web site: Sigmops bathyphilus | NBN Atlas. species.nbnatlas.org.
6. Web site: Sigmops bathyphilus (Vaillant, 1884). www.gbif.org.
7. Web site: Australian Faunal Directory. biodiversity.org.au.
8. Book: Deep Pelagic Ecosystem Dynamics in a Highly Impacted Water Column: The Gulf of Mexico After Deepwater Horizon. Tracey T.. Sutton. Heather. Bracken-Grissom. Jose V.. Lopez. Michael. Vecchione. Marsh J.. Youngbluth. May 3, 2021. Frontiers Media SA. 9782889667161. Google Books.