Teleostei (teleosts) >
Scombriformes (Mackerels) >
Nomeidae (Driftfishes)
Etymology: Cubiceps: Latin, cubus = cube + Latin, ceps = head (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Günther.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 58 - 1000 m (Ref. 13628). Tropical; 40°N - 40°S
Atlantic, Indian and Pacific: circumtropical.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 20.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4412); max. reported age: 4 years (Ref. 31631)
Dorsal spines (total): 11 - 12; Dorsal soft rays (total): 15 - 17; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 14 - 16; Vertebrae: 30 - 31. Light tan to brown in color; caudal fin dusky, other fins clear (Ref. 4412). Teeth patches on midline of roof of mouth and tongue large, broad and granular (sometimes partly obscured by mucous) (Ref 9834).
Occurs from the border of the continental shelf to about 1,000 m depth (Ref. 13628). Found near the surface at night (Ref. 9834). Adults feed mainly on salps (Ref. 33689).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Haedrich, R.L., 1986. Nomeidae. p. 846-850. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. (Ref. 4412)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Tools
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 8.7 - 19, mean 12.7 °C (based on 823 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5010 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00871 (0.00383 - 0.01980), b=3.08 (2.87 - 3.29), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.6 ±0.2 se; based on diet studies.
Generation time: 1.5 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 2
growth studies.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Assuming tmax>4).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (11 of 100).