E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Wildlife of British Columbia

Chauliodus macouni Bean, 1890
Pacific Viperfish
Family: Sternoptychidae

Source: Distribution of Chauliodus macouni as compiled by Aquamaps

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Species Information

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 5 - 7; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 9 - 14; Vertebrae: 56 - 62. First dorsal fin ray much produced in a long filament terminating in a minute flap; adipose fin large, placed well back over posterior part of anal, higher posteriorly; pelvic fins long and narrow (Ref. 6885). No true gill rakers (Ref. 6885). Dark brown to black in color (Ref. 6885). Branchiostegal rays: 16-21 (Ref. 35898).

Source: FishBase. Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H Hammann. 1983 . (Ref. 2850)

Biology

Species Biology

Migrate upward at night (Ref. 28499). Feed on small planktonic crustaceans, arrow worms and fish (Ref. 28499). Has photophores on belly arranged in a row (Ref. 2850). Oviparous, with planktonic eggs and larvae (Ref. 35898). Also caught with bottom trawls. bathypelagic; marine; depth range 25 - 4390 m (Ref. 5610). Deep water.

Source: FishBase. Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H Hammann. 1983 . (Ref. 2850)

Distribution

Northwest Pacific: Navarin Canyon in the Bering Sea to Japan. Eastern Pacific: Gulf of Alaska to central Baja California (Ref. 35898) and the Gulf of California.

Source: FishBase. Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H Hammann. 1983 . (Ref. 2850)

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	SNR	No Status	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer--the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Genetic and lineage information (NCBI Taxonomy Browser)

Additional Range and Status Information Links

NatureServe Explorer
University of Alaska Museum

Additional Photo Sources

Flickr Image Search
Google Image Search
Images from Calphoto

Related Databases

fishbase

General References

FishBase References
Google Scholar Search

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2021. E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Fauna of British Columbia [efauna.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-12-03 10:17:29 PM]

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