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Manyray Loosejaw

Aristostomias polydactylus

  • Fish
  • IUCN: Least concern
  • Usual depth104–2,139 m
  • Water temperature15–30 °C
  • Best monthsFebruary, March, and June
  • How commonRare
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About this species

Aristostomias is a genus of barbeled dragonfishes native to the ocean depths in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans. They are noted for their elongated bodies, large heads, and distinct loosejaw. Aristostomias feed on midwater fishes and follow daily vertical migration patterns. They are known for their red bioluminescence and visual systems built to perceive red light.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Aristostomias”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

  • January: 3 records
  • February: 5 records
  • March: 5 records
  • April: 4 records
  • May: 3 records
  • June: 5 records
  • July: 1 records
  • August: 2 records
  • September: 2 records
  • October: 5 records
  • November: 2 records
  • December: 5 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 104–2,139 m · Deepest record: 3,658 m

  • 70–80 m: 1 records
  • 80–90 m: 0 records
  • 90–100 m: 0 records
  • 100–110 m: 3 records
  • 110–120 m: 1 records
  • 120–130 m: 2 records
  • 130–140 m: 0 records
  • 140–150 m: 0 records
  • 150–160 m: 0 records
  • 160–170 m: 0 records
  • 170–180 m: 2 records
  • 180+ m: 31 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 15–30 °C

  • 14–16 °C: 2 records
  • 16–18 °C: 1 records
  • 18–20 °C: 2 records
  • 20–22 °C: 1 records
  • 22–24 °C: 7 records
  • 24–26 °C: 13 records
  • 26–28 °C: 6 records
  • 28–30 °C: 10 records

Names and classification

English
Manyray Loosejaw
Names in 1 more languages
Japanese
クマドリホシエソ

Similar species

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

  • Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
  • Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
  • Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
  • 92 open-data records from 1929 to 2015.

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