Snaggletooth

Astronesthes niger

Fish
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth35–1,829 m
Water temperature4–29 °C
Best monthsJune and September
How commonRare

About this species

Astronesthes niger, commonly known as snaggletooth, is a species of small, deep sea fish in the family Stomiidae. It occurs in the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, as well as the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean, at depths to 1,000 m (3,300 ft).

Text from the Wikipedia article “Astronesthes niger”, 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: 0 records
February: 3 records
March: 4 records
April: 18 records
May: 14 records
June: 56 records
July: 25 records
August: 26 records
September: 46 records
October: 9 records
November: 10 records
December: 6 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 35–1,829 m · Deepest record: 4,791 m

0–10 m: 10 records
10–20 m: 1 records
20–30 m: 4 records
30–40 m: 1 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 4 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 4 records
80–90 m: 1 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 3 records
110+ m: 131 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 4–29 °C

2–4 °C: 1 records
4–6 °C: 0 records
6–8 °C: 0 records
8–10 °C: 0 records
10–12 °C: 2 records
12–14 °C: 7 records
14–16 °C: 12 records
16–18 °C: 12 records
18–20 °C: 17 records
20–22 °C: 22 records
22–24 °C: 116 records
24–26 °C: 20 records
26–28 °C: 16 records
28–30 °C: 4 records

Names and classification

English: Snaggletooth, snaggletooth

Other scientific names: Astronesthes nigra, Chauliodus fieldii, Stomias fieldii

Similar species

Twinlobe Snaggletooth
Astronesthes bilobata
Boulenger's Snaggletooth
Astronesthes boulengeri
Astronesthes caulophorus
Astronesthes chrysophekadion
Blue Snaggletooth
Astronesthes cyaneus
Astronesthes formosanus

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).
361 open-data records from 1885 to 2025.
Species data updated October 27, 2026.

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