Cape Snaggletooth

View data on Catalog of Fishes here.

body not especially elongate; head with anterior end of snout appearing upturned; anterior gill bar with 39 or more long, closely spaced spines; teeth in jaws all small, closely spaced. Dorsal fin origin a short distance behind pelvic insertion, with 8–12 rays; anal fin long, with 22 or more rays. Color of head and body iridescent black.

Across the Atlantic between about 23° and 35° N, uncommon in the tropical Atlantic, but fairly common again between 20° and 38° S; also Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Gibbs RH, Jr. 1984. Astronesthidae. In: Whitehead PJP, Bauchot M-L, Hureau J-C, Nielsen J, Tortonese E, editors. Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Paris: UNESCO. p 325–335.

to about 170 mm SL.

Body black in color, often iridescent (Ref. 3982). Teeth in jaws uniserial, very short, spine-like, about equally spaced (Ref. 559). Snout shorter than eye (Ref 559). Anal fin with many rays; its base long, more than twice that of dorsal (Ref. 559). Gill rakers much attenuated, numerous, close together (Ref. 559).

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8 - 12; Analspines: 0; Analsoft rays: 22 - 28

An oceanic and mesopelagic species usually found deeper than 500 m during the day. Feeds on midwater fishes and crustaceans.

An oceanic and mesopelagic species usually found deeper than 500 m during the day (Ref. 2802). Feeds on midwater fishes and crustaceans (Ref. 2802). Also Ref. 58302.

Neonesthes capensis, the Cape snaggletooth, is a lightfish of the family Stomiidae, found in all tropical and subtropical oceans except the north Pacific, at depths of between 70 and 1,500 meters. Its length is between 10 and 17 centimeters.

The anal fin is narrow but long, reaching almost to the caudal fin.

Feeds on salps

41.86°N to Gulf of Mexico including Western Caribbean, and from Brazil to Argentina

occasionally found in Canadian Atlantic waters; pelagic species

nektonic