Stomias ferox is a subspecies of deep-sea fish in the family Stomiidae.[3][4][5]

Stomias ferox
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Stomiiformes
Family: Stomiidae
Genus: Stomias
Species:
Subspecies:
S. f.
Trinomial name
Stomias ferox
Reinhardt, 1842
Synonyms[2]
  • Stomias boa ferox Reinhardt, 1842

Description

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Stomias ferox has an elongated body and small head;[6] it is up to 30 cm (0.98 ft) in length, black underneath and iridescent silver on its flanks, with a barbel that has a pale stem, dark spot at base of bulb and three blackish filaments.[7][8] It has six rows of hexagonal areas above a lateral series of large photophores.[9] The dorsal and anal fins are opposite each other, just anterior to the caudal fin.[10] It can be distinguished from the S. boa boa subspecies by its larger number of photophores.[11]

Name

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The subspecies name ferox means "wild, ferocious." It is sometimes called dragon-boa, dragonfish or boa dragonfish,[12][13] but those names are equally applied to Stomias boa as a species, or the S. boa boa subspecies. In Icelandic it is marsnákur ("sea snake") and in Norwegian storkjeft ("big jaw").[14][15]

Distribution and habitat

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Stomias ferox is mesopelagic and bathypelagic, living at depths of 20–800 m (66–2,625 ft), concentrated in the north Atlantic.[16][17]

Diet

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Stomias ferox eats midwater fishes and crustaceans; it rises to near the surface to feed at night.[8] It positions itself horizontally in the water column with pelvic and pectoral fins spread wide and barbel pointing forward.[18]

Reproduction

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Stomias ferox is oviparous.[19][20]

References

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  1. ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Stomias boa ferox Reinhardt, 1842". www.marinespecies.org.
  2. ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Stomias boa ferox Reinhardt, 1842". www.marinespecies.org.
  3. ^ Coad, Brian W.; Reist, James D. (January 1, 2018). Marine Fishes of Arctic Canada. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9781442647107 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Tallqvist, Hjalmar (November 4, 1957). "Tables of Spherical Harmonics". Elanders boktr. – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Morato, Telmo; Silva, Mónica Almeida; Menezes, Gui Manuel Machado; Santos, Ricardo Serrão; Afonso, Pedro; Pitcher, Tony J. (January 25, 2021). The Azores Marine Ecosystem: An Open Window Into North Atlantic Open Ocean and Deep-Sea Environments. Frontiers Media SA. ISBN 9782889664283 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Heessen, Henk J. L.; Daan, Niels; Ellis, Jim R. (September 1, 2015). Fish atlas of the Celtic Sea, North Sea, and Baltic Sea: Based on international research-vessel surveys. Wageningen Academic Publishers. ISBN 9789086868780 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ "Marine Species Identification Portal : Stomias boa". species-identification.org.
  8. ^ a b "Stomias boa, Boa dragonfish". www.fishbase.se.
  9. ^ "Stomias boa | NBN Atlas". species.nbnatlas.org.
  10. ^ "Stomias boa". fishesofaustralia.net.au.
  11. ^ Coad, Brian W.; Reist, James D. (January 1, 2018). Marine Fishes of Arctic Canada. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9781442647107 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ Advances in Marine Biology. Academic Press. June 2, 2005. ISBN 9780080524504 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ "NOAA Technical Report NMFS SSRF". National Marine Fisheries Service. November 4, 1974 – via Google Books.
  14. ^ "Stomias boa ferox Reinhardt, 1842 - Ocean Biodiversity Information System". obis.org.
  15. ^ "Boa dragonfish - Stomias boa ferox - Reinhardt, 1842". eunis.eea.europa.eu.
  16. ^ "Stomias boa ferox Reinhardt, 1842". www.gbif.org.
  17. ^ "Stomias ferox". www.fishbase.de.
  18. ^ Bigelow, Henry Bryant; Schroeder, William Charles (November 4, 1953). Fishes of the Gulf of Maine. U.S. Government Printing Office. ISBN 9780598917881 – via Google Books.
  19. ^ "Collected Reprints". The Center. November 3, 1987 – via Google Books.
  20. ^ "Biology". A.F. Høst. November 4, 1918 – via Google Books.