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Teleostei (teleosts) > Beryciformes (Sawbellies) > Melamphaidae (Bigscale fishes or ridgeheads)
Etymology: Melamphaes: Greek, melan, -anos = black + Greek, amphi = both side (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Gill.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; brackish; bathypelagic; depth range 100 - 3200 m (Ref. 84880), usually 300 - ? m (Ref. 84880). Deep-water; 29°N - 48°S

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

North Atlantic: off the American, European and African coasts; central part of the Ocean - above the Corner Ridge and North-Atlantic Ridge (northern most 57°46'N, 11°05'W). South Atlantc: Vema Seamount, Argentina to South Africa (northern most 18°39'S, 04°16'W, all other catches up to 40°S. Indian Ocean: off South Africa, Madagascar and Mozambique ridges. Pacific: Northwest - off Nampo Is. And Ogasawara (Bonin); Northeast - off California; Southwest - Tasman Sea.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m 9.4, range 9 - 9.7 cm
Max length : 10.6 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 84880)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 3; Dorsal soft rays (total): 5; Anal spines: 1; Anal soft rays: 17. Light brown body; unpigmented fins; mouth and branchial cavity light brown. Well-developed post temporal spine, directed antero-dorsally. About 20 transverse rows of scales (nape to caudal fin) (Ref. 31511). Head with obtuse angle in lateral margin (Ref. 37108).

A mesopelagic oceanic species (Ref. 84880)

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Kotlyar, A.N., 1999. Melamphaes suborbitalis (Melamphaidae): osteology, intraspecific structure, distribution, and description of a new species, Melamphaes parini sp. nova. Vopr. Ikhtiol. 39(4):447-459. [In Russian. English translation in J. Ichthyol. v. 39 (no. 6): 421-432.]. (Ref. 84880)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

Data deficient (DD) ; Date assessed: 15 July 2014

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators

Ecology
Ecology

Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance

Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
Spawning
Spawning aggregations
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics

Distribution
Countries
FAO areas
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Anatomy
Gill area
Brain
Otolith

Physiology
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)

Genetics
Genetics
Heterozygosity
Heritability

Human related
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Aquaculture profiles
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Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.

Outreach
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Taxonomy
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References
References

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 6.3 - 9.8, mean 8.1 °C (based on 43 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01072 (0.00442 - 0.02595), b=3.10 (2.89 - 3.31), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.6 ±0.2 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Assuming tm=2-4).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).

Melamphaes suborbitalis (Gill, 1883)