Argyropelecus
Argyropelecus is an oceanic ray-finned fish genus in the deep sea hatchetfish family Sternoptychidae. A collective name is "silver hatchetfishes", but this can also refer to a species of the freshwater hatchetfishes which are not particularly closely related to. The large pupils of these marine hatchetfishes enable them to see dim objects in the deep sea, where light barely penetrates.
| Silver hatchetfishes | |
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| Argyropelecus lychnus, conventional and X-ray images | |
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| Genus: | Argyropelecus Cocco, 1829 |
| Diversity | |
| 7 species | |
Species
There are currently seven recognized extant species in this genus:[1]
- Argyropelecus aculeatus Valenciennes, 1850 (Lovely hatchetfish, Atlantic silver hatchetfish)
- Argyropelecus affinis Garman, 1899 (Pacific hatchetfish)
- Argyropelecus gigas Norman, 1930 (Giant hatchetfish, greater silver hatchetfish)
- Argyropelecus hemigymnus Cocco, 1829 (Half-naked hatchetfish, short silver hatchetfish, spurred hatchetfish)
- Argyropelecus lychnus Garman, 1899 (Tropical hatchetfish)
- Argyropelecus olfersi (G. Cuvier, 1829)
- Argyropelecus sladeni Regan, 1908 (Sladen's hatchetfish, silvery hatchetfish)
The earliest unequivocal fossils of Argyropelecus date from the start of the Chattian stage of the Late Oligocene[2] The original assessment of Eocene-aged otoliths from Austria assigned to this genus is now questioned.[2]
References
- Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). Species of Argyropelecus in FishBase. February 2012 version.
- Carnevale, Giorgio. "Redescription and phylogenetic relationships of Argyropelecus logearti (Teleostei: Stomiiformes: Sternoptychidae), with a brief review of fossil Argyropelecus." Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia (Research In Paleontology and Stratigraphy) 109.1 (2003).
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