Author: Sulak, 1975

Talismania mekistonema Sulak, 1975

Diagnosis: head large, more than one-third of body; snout pointed, greatel than eye; upper jaw reaching to about middle of eye; vomerine teeth minute, Iying on two widely separated plates. Pyloric caeca 7-8. Dorsal and anal fins far back, more or less equal and opposite to each other; upper pectoral finray(s) filamentous, reaching to anal fin origin or beyond. Scales moderate, 46-48 in lateral line. Vertebrae 19 + 28-29 = 46-48. Colour: brownish, with a black wart-like spot near base of sixth dorsal finray. Size: to at least 21 cm.

Habitat: engybenthic at about 600-1,500 m. Food: no data. Reproduction: no data.

Distribution: a single record, the Azores. Elsewhere, southward to 8° S; also, western central Atlantic and Indian Ocean.

Eggs, larvae and young stages. No data.
Otoliths (sagitta). No data.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Superclass Gnathostomata
Class Osteichthyes
Order Clupeiformes
Family Alepocephalidae
Genus Talismania
Species Talismania mekistonema

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Talismania mekistonema Sulak, 1975

Scientific synonyms and common names

Talismania mekistonema Sulak, 1975

Synonyms:

Talismania mekistonema Sulak, 1975, Bull. mar. Sci., 25 (1): 88-93, fig. 1-5 (23°33.5'N-23°54.0'N., 77°02.06W-77°04.5'W., 1244-1234 m). Holotype: USNM no. 211284; 3 paratypes: UMML no. 31255 (2), 31247 (1).
Talismania grandlsquamis Ouéro, 1975c, Rev. Trav. Inst. Pêches marit., 38 (4): 439-442, fig. 1 (26°53'N., 14°15'W., 1200-1250 m). Holotype: MNHN no. 1974-94.
Talismania mekistonema: Markle, 1976 :172-173.


Common name:

threadfin smooth-head [En]

Markle, D. F. 1976. Preliminary studies on the systematics of deep-sea Alepocephaloidea (Pisces: Salmoniformes). A dissertation presented to the Faculty of the School of Marine Science. The College of William and Mary in Virginia. 225 pp., 41 fig. (not published).

Quéro, J.-C. 1975c. Talismania grandisquamis sp. nov. Poissons, Clupeiformes, Alecephalides, espece nouvelle de l'Atlantique centre-est. Rev. Trav. Inst. Peches marit., 38 (4): 439-442, fig. 1.

Sulak, K. J. 1975. Biological results of the University of Miami deep-sea expeditions 111. Talismania mekistonema, a new Atlantic species of the family Alepocephalidae (Pisces: Salmoniformes). Bull. mar. Sci., 25 (1): 88-93, fig. 1-5.

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