Author: Vaillant, 1886

Leptochilichthys pinguis Vaillant, 1886

Diagnosis: body elongate and compressed, head large, about 1 1/3 of body length. Eye smaller than snout, in front half of head. Upper jaw membranous, more than half length of head; gillrakers 8-9 + 1 + 16-20. Dorsal fin well behind midpoint of body, with 16-21 finrays; pectoral fins with 9-10 finrays; pelvic fins behind midpoint of body, with 9 finrays; anal fin origin below middle of dorsal fin base, with 14-18 finrays. Scales relatively large, about 53-55 in lateral line. Colour: head bluish, body brownish. Size: to 24.3 cm.

Habitat: mesopelagic at 800-1,400 m, adults possibly benthopelagic. Food: no data. Reproduction: ovarian eggs large, to 5 mm in diameter.

Distribution: a single small juvenile caught at 1,400 m off Morocco (the type). Elsewhere, Indian Ocean and western part of tropical Pacific.

Eggs, larvae and young stages. No data.
Otoliths (sagitta). No data.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Superclass Gnathostomata
Class Osteichthyes
Order Clupeiformes
Family Leptochilichthyidae
Genus Leptochilichthys
Species Leptochilichthys pinguis

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Leptochilichthys pinguis (Vaillant, 1886)

Scientific synonyms and common names

Leptochilichthys pinguis Vaillant, 1886

Synonyms:

Anomalopterus pinguis Vaillant, 1886, C.R. Séanc. Acad. Sci. Paris, 103 (25): 1239
(Cape Blanc, Morocco, 1400 m). Holotype: MNHN 85-168.
Anomalopterus pinguis: Vaillant, 1888: 160-162, pl. XI (fig. 4-4a) Goode & Bean, 1896: 49-50, pl. XV (fig. 54) Lozano Rey, 1947: 83-84, fig. 14 Dollfus, 1955: 29, 99.
Anomalopterichthys pinguis: Whitley, 1940: 242.
Leptochilichthys agassizii Garman, 1899, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard, 24: 285286, pl. 58, fig. 3. Holotype MCZ 28479.
Leptochilichthys agassizii macrops Roule & Angel, 1931, Bull. Inst. Océan.Monaco, 581: 6 (Coast of Morocco, 0-3000 m). Holotype in MOM.
Leptochilichthys agassizii macrops: Roule & Angel, 1933: 8, 39, pl. 1, fig. 3 Belloc, 1949: 5.
Leptochilichthys agassizii: Markle, 1976: 109-111, fig. 38a.


Common names:

vaillant's smooth-head [En]

Belloc, G. 1949. Catalogue des Types de Poissons du Musée Océanographique de Monaco. Bull. Inst. océanogr. Monaco, (958): 23 p., 3 pl.

Dollfus, R. Ph. 1955. Première contribution à l'établissement d'un fichier ichthyologique du Maroc atlantique de Tanger à l'embouchure de l'Oued Dra. Trav. Inst. scient. chérif., Zool, (6): 227 pp., 1 map.

Garman, S. 1899. Reports on a exploration off the west coasts of Mexico, Central and South America, and off the Galapagos Islands in charge of Alexander Agassiz, by the U.S. Fish Commission Steamer 'Albatross' during 1891, Lieut. Commander Z. L. Tanner, U.S.A. commanding. XXVI. The Fishes. Mem. Mus. comp. Zool. Harv., 24 : 1-431, 97 pl., I map.

Goode, G. B.; Bean, T. H. 1896. Oceanic ichthyology, a treatise on the deep-sea and pelagic fishes of the world, based chiefly upon the collections made by steamers Blake, Albatross and Fish Hawk in the northwestern Atlantic. Smithson. Contrib. Knowl., 30 and Spec. Bull U.S. natn. Mus., 1895 [1896] and Mem. Mus. comp. Zool. Harv., 1 (Text): pp. xxxv+1-553; 2 (Atlas): pp. xxiii+1-26, 123 pl., 417 fig.

Lozano y Rey, L. 1947. Peces Ganoideos y Fisostomos, Mems R. Acad. Cienc. exact. fis. nat. Madr., ser.: Cienc. Nat., 11: xv + 839 p., 190 fig., 20 pl.

Markle, D. F. 1976. Preliminary studies on the systematics of deep-sea Alepocephaloidea (Pisces: Salmoniformes). A dissertation presented to the Faculty of the School of Marine Science. The College of William and Mary in Virginia. 225 pp., 41 fig. (not published).

Roule, L.; Angel, F. 1933. Poissons provenant des campagnes du Prince Albert I de Monaco. Résult. Camp. scient. Prince Albert 1, 86: pp. 1-115.

Vaillant, L. 1886. Considérations sur les poissons des grandes profondeurs, en particulier sur ceux qui appartiennent au sous-ordre des Abdominales. C.r. hebd Séanc. Acad. Sci. Paris, 103 (253 :1237-1239.

Vaillant, L. 1888. Poissons in Expéditions scientifiques du 'Travailleur' et du 'Talisman' pendant les années 1880-1883. Masson, Paris, 406 pp., 28 pl.

Whitley, G. P. 1940c. The Nomenclator Zoologicus and some new fish names. Aust. Nat., 10: pp. 241-243.

Roule, L.; Angel, F. 1931. Observations et rectifications concernant divers poissons recueillis par S.A.S. Ie Prince Albert I de Monaco au cours des campagnes de 1911 a 1914. Bull. Inst. océanogr., Monaco (581): 1-8.

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