Animal Species:Black Loosejaw, Malacosteus niger Ayres, 1848

The Black Loosejaw is an elongate, compressed fish. Its jaws are much longer than the skull. It is found in the Atlantic and Indo-West Pacific.

Black Loosejaw, Malacosteus niger

Black Loosejaw, Malacosteus niger
Robin McPhee © NORFANZ Founding Parties

Identification

The Black Loosejaw is an elongate, compressed fish. Its jaws are much longer than the skull. There is a comma-shaped photophore under the eye and a circular photophore behind the eye. In life, these photophores are red and green respectively. The head and body are black.

Size range

The species grows to 24 cm in length.

Distribution

It occurs in the Atlantic and Indo-West Pacific. In Australia it is known from off New South Wales, Tasmania and Western Australia

The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Click on the map for detailed information.  Source: Atlas of Living Australia.

Malacosteus niger

Distribution by collection data

Ozcam map of Black Loosejaw specimens in the Australian Museums.

What does this mean?

Habitat

The species is found at bathypelagic and mesopelagic depths.

Classification

Species:
niger
Genus:
Malacosteus
Subfamily:
Malacosteinae
Family:
Stomiidae
Order:
Stomiiformes
Class:
Actinopterygii
Subphylum:
Vertebrata
Phylum:
Chordata
Kingdom:
Animalia

What does this mean?

References

  1. Gomon, M.F. & E.M. Robertson in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
  2. Harold, A.S. 1999. Malacosteidae. in Carpenter, K.E. & V.H. Niem (Eds). FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 3. Batoid fishes, chimaeras and bony fishes part 1 (Elopidae to Linophrynidae). FAO, Rome. Pp. iii-vi, 1398-2068.
  3. Paxton, J.R., D.F. Hoese, G.R. Allen & J.E. Hanley. 1989. Zoological Catalogue of Australia Vol. 7 Pisces Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Survey. Pp. i-xii, 1-665.

 


Mark McGrouther , Collection Manager, Ichthyology
Last Updated:

Tags Fishes, Ichthyology, Black Loosejaw, Malacosteus niger, Stomiidae, NORFANZ, elongate, photophores, black, 10 cm - 30 cm, odd-shaped, Atlantic, Indo-Pacific, mesopelagic, bathypelagic, deepsea, marine,