Like many species of ceratioid anglerfishes, P. atratus is known from relatively few specimens and thus, little is known about even the most basic aspect of this species' biology.
Dolopichthys allector: Regan, 1926:28 (misidentifications; five of nine specimens subsequently described as Dolopichthys (Pentherichthys) atratus by Regan and Trewavas, 1932). Norman, 1930:353, fig. 43 (misidentification, single specimen, subsequently described as Dolopichthys (Pentherichthys) venustus by Regan and Trewavas, 1932).
Dolopichthys (Pentherichthys) atratus Regan and Trewavas, 1932:81, fig. 129, pl. 3, fig. 2 (original description, five specimens, lectotype ZMUC P92103, designated by Bertelsen, 1951).
Dolopichthys (Pentherichthys) venustus Regan and Trewavas, 1932:81, fig. 130 (original description, single specimen).
Dolopichthys atratus: Beebe and Crane, 1947:162 (two additional specimens, Eastern Tropical Pacific). Nielsen, 1974:91 (listed in type catalog).
Pentherichthys atratus: Bertelsen, 1951:105 (subgenus elevated to generic rank, description, comparison of all known material). Briggs, 1960:179 (worldwide distribution). Moore et al., 2003:215 (off New England).
Pentherichthys venustus: Bertelsen, 1951:105 (description, comparison of all known material). Pietsch, 1974a:16–21, 24–29, 109, figs. 25, 38, 39H, 47, 48, 51G, 53C (osteology, relationships). Bertelsen and Pietsch, 1977:186, fig. 9 (three additional specimens, Eastern South Atlantic). Bertelsen, 1986:1398, fig. (Eastern North Atlantic). Bertelsen, 1990:506 (synonymy, Eastern Tropical Atlantic).
Ctenochirichthys longimanus: Bussing, 1965:222 (misidentification, specimen referred to Pentherichthys atratus by Pietsch, 1978).
Pentherichthys sp.: Maul, 1973:673 (unidentifiable larvae and males, Eastern North Atlantic). Pietsch and Seigel, 1980:395 (after Bertelsen, 1951). Bertelsen, 1984:331, fig. 170E (early life history, phylogeny). Pietsch, 1999:2032 (Western Central Pacific).
Pentherichthys atratus is unique among all known ceratioids in having large melanophores inside the rays of the caudal fin, easily distinguished with the naked eye in larvae and adults of both sexes. Metamorphosed females of P. atratus differ from those of all other oneirodids in having the ethmoid region of the cranium extremely flattened dorsoventrally. The illicial trough is deep and wide, the nasal foramina narrow and elongate. The symphysial spine of the lower jaw is absent. The dentaries form a thick, broad, posteriorly directed flange immediately lateral to their union on the midline, the ventral margin of the lower jaw at the symphysis concave when viewed anteriorly. The pterygiophore of the illicium is short, the posterior part broad and dorsoventrally flattened.
Metamorphosed females of P. atratus are further distinguished from those of all other oneirodid genera in having the following combination of character states: The ethmoid cartilage and vomer are wide, their width about equal to the distance between the anterolateral tips of the lateral ethmoids and frontals. Vomerine teeth are absent. The frontals are short, the anterior end overhanging and extending past the anterior limits of the ethmoid cartilage and vomer, the dorsal margin convex. The ventromedial extensions of the frontals approach each other on the midline, making contact with the parasphenoid. The frontals are separated from the prootics. The pterosphenoid is present. The posterior end of the illicial trough is wider and shallower than its anterior end. The sphenotic spines are well developed. The symphysial cartilage of the upper jaw is considerably wider than long. The hyomandibular has a double head. The quadrate and articular spines are rudimentary. The posterior margin of the opercle is deeply notched. The subopercle is elongate, its dorsal end slender and tapering to a point (the posterior margin is without an indentation), its ventral end oblong (with a small anterior projection in some larvae and males). The first and second pharyngobranchials are absent. The second hypobranchial articulates directly with the second basibranchial. The illicium is considerably longer than the length of the esca bulb. The pterygiophore of the illicium is cylindrical throughout its length, emerging on the snout from between the frontal bones, its anterior end slightly exposed, its posterior end concealed beneath skin. The first ray of the dorsal fin is well developed. There are 6–7 dorsal-fin rays and 6 (rarely 5 or 7) anal-fin rays (Table 0). The pectoral-fin lobe is short and broad, shorter than the longest rays of the pectoral fin. There are 21–27 pectoral-fin rays. The coracoid lacks a posteroventral process. The pelvic bones are simple, expanded distally. The skin is naked, without dermal spinules. Darkly pigmented skin of the caudal peduncle extends well past the base of the caudal fin.
In addition to having internally pigmented caudal rays, metamorphosed males of P. atratus differ from those of all other oneirodid genera in having the following combination of character states: The posterior nostril is contiguous with the eye. The nasal area is white. There are 18 olfactory lamellae. There are 7–9 upper denticular teeth, fused at their base, and 4 lower denticular teeth 4.
In addition to having internally pigmented caudal rays, larvae of P. atratus are differentiated by having the following combination of character states: The depth of the body anterior to the base of the pectoral fins is about 60% SL. The posterior part of the body is relatively slender. The gill-cover has a few scattered melanophores. The dorsal pigmentation consists of a restricted cluster of melanophores, terminating anterior to the origin of the dorsal fin. The posterior part of the caudal peduncle is faintly pigmented. The ventral part of the peritoneum is unpigmented.
Pentherichthys atratus is unique among all known ceratioids in having large melanophores inside the rays of the caudal fin, easily distinguished with the naked eye in larvae and adults of both sexes. Metamorphosed females of P. atratus differ from those of all other oneirodids in having the ethmoid region of the cranium extremely flattened dorsoventrally.
For more, see "Description" under "Overview"
Metamorphosed females and males of P. atratus have been collected from numerous, widely scattered localities in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific oceans, but the species is represented in the Indian and Western Pacific only by larvae, one from the South China Sea, off the west coast of Luzon, Philippines, and another in the Eastern Indian Ocean at about 3ºS off the coast of Sumatra. It has been collected on both sides of the Atlantic between 40ºN and 8ºS, with one known record in the far Eastern South Atlantic off Cape Town, South Africa. In the Eastern Pacific it ranges between 22ºN and 15ºS, from 165ºW and eastward into the Gulf of Panama.
Pietsch TW. 2009. Oceanic Anglerfishes: Extraordinary Diversity in the Deep Sea. Berkley: University of California Press. 638 p.
The body of metamorphosed females is relatively long and slender, not globular. The depth of the head is about 45–50% SL. The mouth is large, the cleft extending well past the eye. The jaws are equal anteriorly. The illicium length is 12–30% SL. The esca bears a small conical or laterally compressed anterior papilla, a median distal crest, and a large tapering posterior appendage. The posterior escal appendage bears in turn several to numerous short filaments along most of its length, and, on each side of its base, a large, simple to complexly branched, anteriorly directed appendage.
The opercle is strongly bifurcate, the two forks forming an acute angle of about 34º–47º. The length of the dorsal fork is 50–60% length of the ventral fork. The length of the subopercle is about 80–82% of the length of the ventral fork of the opercle.
The teeth of the jaws are slender, recurved, and all depressible, arranged in somewhat irregular overlapping transverse sets of up to seven teeth, increasing in size towards the innermost and most recently developed teeth. The pattern of tooth placement is especially obvious in larger specimens that have higher tooth counts and, although the pattern is the same in both upper and lower jaws, it is more obvious in the lower jaw. The teeth in the lower jaw are larger and considerably more numerous than those in the upper jaw. The upper and lower jaws bear about 50 and 80 teeth, respectively, in a 19.5-mm specimen, increasing to about 110 and nearly 200 teeth, respectively, in a 119-mm specimen. The third pharyngobranchial is well toothed, bearing about 15 teeth in a 119-mm specimen.
Bertelsen E. 1951. The ceratioid fishes. Ontogeny, taxonomy, distribution and biology: Dana Report. 276 p.
As with many species of the family Oneirodidae, males of P. atratus probably never become parasitic. Spawning and fertilization may take place during a temporary sexual attachment that does not involve fusion of male and female tissues.
To 122 mm standard length.
As with nearly all species of deep-sea anglerfishes, P. atratus lures prey to its mouth with bioluminescence emitted from the esca. Unlike most deep-sea fishes that produce bioluminescence, light produced by ceratioid anglerfishes is not endogenous, but rather the product of a bacterial community in the esca.
Lectotype: DANA station 1208(6), Gulf of Panama, 6°48'N, 80°33’W, 2500 m wire, 0810 hr, 16 January 1922.
Lectotype: ZMUC P92103, 19 mm.
Paralectotypes: BMNH 1925.8.11.5, 18 mm; BMNH 1925.8.11.7, 21 mm; ZMUC P92160, 16.5 mm; ZMUC P92161, 17.5 mm.
Pentherichthys atratus is a species of dreamer known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean. The females of this species grow to a length of 11.9 centimetres (4.7 in). The males, though much smaller, are non-parasitic. This species is the only known member of the genus Penterichthys.
Penterichthys atratus can be found in the Eastern Atlantic, but larvae have been found in southwest of Madeira.[1]
The average length of an unsexed female of this species is about 11.9 centimeters.[1]
Penterichthys atratus is a bathypelagic predator.[1]
Pentherichthys atratus is a species of dreamer known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean. The females of this species grow to a length of 11.9 centimetres (4.7 in). The males, though much smaller, are non-parasitic. This species is the only known member of the genus Penterichthys.
