Valenciennellus tripunctulatus
Scientific classification Edit this 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]
  • Maurolicus tripunctulatus Esmark, 1871
  • Valencienellus tripunctulatus Esmark, 1871
  • Valenciennellus stellatus Garman, 1899
  • Valenciennellus tripunctatus Esmark, 1871

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

  1. "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species".
  2. "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Valenciennellus tripunctulatus (Esmark, 1871)". www.marinespecies.org.
  3. "Valenciennellus tripunctulatus". fishesofaustralia.net.au.
  4. "Research Report". U.S. Government Printing Office. June 22, 1946 via Google Books.
  5. "Fishery Bulletin". National Marine Fisheries Service. June 22, 1989 via Google Books.
  6. 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.
  7. 1 2 3 "Valenciennellus tripunctulatus, Constellationfish". www.fishbase.se.
  8. Bulletin of the United States National Museum
  9. 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.
  10. Andersen, Neil R.; Zahuranec, Bernard J. (June 22, 1977). Oceanic Sound Scattering Prediction. Springer. ISBN 9780306355059 via Google Books.
  11. "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Valenciennellus tripunctulatus (Esmark, 1871)". www.marinespecies.org.
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