Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Stomiiformes
(Lightfishes and dragonfishes) > Stomiidae
(Barbeled dragonfishes) > Stomiinae
Etymology: Stomias: Greek, stoma = mouth; hard briddle (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 20 - 800 m (Ref. 86779), usually 500 - ? m (Ref. 86779). Deep-water; 65°N -
North Atlantic: north of 30°N. Replaced by Stomias boa boa off northern Africa and in the Mediterranean.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 30.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4783)
Morphology | Morphometrics
soft rays: 19 - 23;
Vertebrae: 77 - 83. Body slender. Six rows of pigmented areas dorsal to lateral photophores. Photophores in ventral row separate, small teeth on each side of the symphysis. Black to dark brown, sides iridescent (Ref. 37473).
A mesopelagic species that lives deeper than 500 m during daylight and migrates to the upper 200 m at night. Observed by submersibles to position themselves horizontally in the water column with pelvic and pectoral fins spread wide, with barbel pointing forward. A predatory fish presumed to lie-and-wait and capable of quick bursts of speed (Ref. 86779). Feeds on midwater fishes and crustaceans (Ref. 4783). Oviparous.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Collette, B.B. and G. Klein-MacPhee (eds.), 2002. Bigelow and Schroeder’s fishes of the Gulf of Maine, third ed. Caldwell, N.J. : Blackburn Press, 577 p.: ill.; 27 cm. (Ref. 86779)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 120744)
CITES (Ref. 115941)
Threat to humans
Common namesSynonymsMetabolismPredatorsEcotoxicologyReproductionMaturitySpawningSpawning aggregationFecundityEggsEgg development
Estimates of some properties based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969
): 2.5 - 11.4, mean 5.1 (based on 158 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805
= No PD50 data [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00191 (0.00078 - 0.00468), b=3.18 (2.97 - 3.39), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245
Trophic Level (Ref. 69278
): 3.6 ±0.55 se; Based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 69278
): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153
): Moderate vulnerability (40 of 100) .