Valenciennellus tripunctulatus
Valenciennellus tripunctulatus | |
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Conservation status | |
![]() Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1] | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Stomiiformes |
Family: | Sternoptychidae |
Genus: | Valenciennellus |
Species: | V. tripunctulatus |
Binomial name | |
Valenciennellus tripunctulatus (Esmark, 1871) | |
Synonyms[2] | |
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Valenciennellus tripunctulatus, commonly called the constellationfish,[3] is a species of fish in the family Sternoptychidae (hatchetfish).[4][5][6]
Description
Valenciennellus tripunctulatus is small, growing no longer than 3.1 cm (1.2 in).[7] It darkens its body at night by pigment dispersion. It is silvery-white in colour with several black spots; the name tripunctulatus ("three-spotted") refers to the larger spots on their ventral surface, although there are often more than three of these.[8]
Habitat
Valenciennellus tripunctulatus lives all the world's non-polar oceans. It is bathypelagic and non-migratory, living at depths of 100–1,000 m (330–3,280 ft).[7][9]
Behaviour
Valenciennellus tripunctulatus is a selective daytime feeder on copepods (mainly Pleuromamma) and ostracods (such as Conchoecia).[10]
It breeds year-round, with egg batches about 100–360 eggs per ovary pair, the number increasing with animal size.[7] It does not guard its eggs.[11]
References
- ^ "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species".
- ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Valenciennellus tripunctulatus (Esmark, 1871)". www.marinespecies.org.
- ^ "Valenciennellus tripunctulatus". fishesofaustralia.net.au.
- ^ "Research Report". U.S. Government Printing Office. June 22, 1946 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Fishery Bulletin". National Marine Fisheries Service. June 22, 1989 – via Google Books.
- ^ Boehlert, George W. (June 22, 1992). "Distribution of Ichthyoplankton Around Southeast Hancock Seamount, Central North Pacific, in Summer 1984 and Winter 1985: Data Report" – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c "Valenciennellus tripunctulatus, Constellationfish". www.fishbase.se.
- ^ Bulletin of the United States National Museum
- ^ Bigelow, Henry B.; Cohen, Daniel M.; Dick, Myvanwy M.; Jr, Robert H. Gibbs; Grey, Marion; Jr, James E. Morrow; Schultz, Leonard P.; Walters, Vladimir (October 23, 2018). Soft-rayed Bony Fishes: Orders Isospondyli and Giganturoidei: Part 4. Yale University Press. ISBN 9781933789149 – via Google Books.
- ^ Andersen, Neil R.; Zahuranec, Bernard J. (June 22, 1977). Oceanic Sound Scattering Prediction. Springer. ISBN 9780306355059 – via Google Books.
- ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Valenciennellus tripunctulatus (Esmark, 1871)". www.marinespecies.org.