Big Mouth Gulper

Mouth greatly enlarged by a backward extension of jaws, gape comprising half or more of preanal length; buccal cavity greatly distensible. Tail attenuated and ending in an expanded, luminous caudal organ. Caudal fin absent; scales absent; lateral line without pores, instead with groups of elevated tubules.

Oviparous (Ref. 35600). Degenerative changes in males and females suggest semelparity (Ref. 35600). Egg cells within each of the gonads have the same developmental stage (monocyclic ovaries) suggesting only one spawning during its lifetime or periodic spawning (Ref. 36055).

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Analspines: 0

Meso- to abyssopelagic (Ref. 58302) and bathypelagic (Ref. 58426). Feed mainly on crustaceans, but also take fishes, cephalopods, and other invertebrates (Ref. 2850, 11041). Parasite of the species is known to be Pistana eurypharyngis, a parasitic cestode (Ref. 5951).

Meso- to abyssopelagic (Ref. 58302) and bathypelagic (Ref. 58426). Adults feed mainly on crustaceans, but also take fishes, cephalopods, and other invertebrates (Ref. 2850, 11041). Oviparous, planktonic eggs hatch into planktonic leptocephalus larvae (Ref. 6719, 35600). Degenerative changes in males and females suggest semelparity (Ref. 35600).

fisheries: of no interest