Author: Barnard, 1923

Alepocephalus australis Barnard, 1923

Diagnosis: body fairly elongate and compressed, its greatest depth above pectoral fins. Head large. greater than body depth: eye moderate, equal. to snout (juveniles) or a little less (adults), its hind margin just befort midpoint of head; tip of upper jaw reaching to front margin of eye or to eye centre; gillrakers 6-9 + 1 + 13-18 = 20-27. Dorsal finrays 16-19, pectoral finrays 9-13, pelvic finrays 7-8, anal finrays 17-19, its origin about opposite dorsal fin origin. Colour: purplish-brown. Size: to at least 42 cm.

Habitat: engybenthic at about 1,000-2,600 m. Food: no data. Reproduction: no data.

Distribution: isolated records off Morocco and south-western Ireland Elsewhere, possibly widely distributed from Gulf of Guinea to South Africa and in western Atlantic at about 39° to 10° N.

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 Alepocephalus
Species Alepocephalus australis

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Alepocephalus australis Barnard, 1923

Scientific synonyms and common names

Alepocephalus australis Barnard, 1923

Synonyms:

Alepocephalus australis Barnard, 1923, Ann. S. Afr. Mus., 13 (8): 440-441 ('off Cape Point, 630 fathoms'). 4 syntypes: SAM 12714-12716, BMNH 1927.12.6.3.
Alepocephalus australis: Barnard, 1925: 121, pl. 7, fig. 2 Grey, 1956, partim :105 Markle, 1976 :114.
Alepocephalus ? australis: Koefoed, 1927: 3940, pl. 4, fig. 5-6.
Alepocephalus australis australis:Parr, 1952b: 257.
Note. The taxonomic status of the North Atlantic specimens is uncertain. The name australis Barnard is applied to them tentatively only.


Common names:

southern atlantic smooth-head [En]

Barnard, K. H. 1923. Diagnoses of new species of marine fishes from South African waters. Ann. 5. Afr. Mus., 13: 439-445.

Barnard, K. H. 1926-27. A Monograph of the Marine Fishes of South Africa. Part I, Ann. 5. Afr. Mus., 21:1-418, fig. 1-18, pl. I-XVII. Part II, ibid., 21: 417-1065, fig. 19-32, pl. XVIII-XXXVIII.

Grey, M.1956. The distribution of fishes found below a depth of 2000 meters. Fieldiana, ZooL, 36 (2): 75-337.

Koefoed, E. 1927. Fishes from the Sea-Bottom. Rep. scient. Results Michael Sars N. Atlant. deep Sea Exped., [tittle page: 1927,1932], 4 (1): 148 p., 55 fig., 6 pl.

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).

Parr, A. E.1952. Revision of the species currently referred to Alepocephalus, Halisauriceps, Bathytroctes and Bajacalifornia with introduction of two new genera. Bull. Mus. comp. Zool. Harv., 107 (4): 255-269.

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