Anotopterus pharao Zugmayer, 1911
Daggertooth
Anotopterus pharao
photo by DESCNA

Family:  Anotopteridae (Daggertooth)
Max. size:  96 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  bathypelagic; marine; depth range 0 - 5100 m
Distribution:  North Atlantic: from Canada (Ref. 5951), Greenland and Davis Strait, to Madeira I. and Canary Is. (Ref. 31260).
Diagnosis:  Anal soft rays: 12-15; Vertebrae: 77-81. In adults, head depth 23.2-26.8% of lower jaw length. Postorbital area 5.5-7.6% SL or 28.8-33.3% (less than 3 times smaller than HL). Rear edge of gill cover overlaps with the middle of the 4th vertebrae. Postadipose distance 6-7.4% SL (Ref. 31260).
Biology:  Epimesopelagic species. Juveniles and fry observed exclusively within the central-circle current and its periphery; large adults caught mainly in boreal and sub-arctic waters. Feeds mainly on small and moderate-sized mesopelagic fishes; the largest Paralepis coregonoides and Arctozenus risso, had body length of 28-30 cm; a specimen caught from the southern region of Reykjanes Ridge had 12 individuals of Sebastes mentella ranging from 4.5-5 cm. Stomachs of those caught in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge have small squids (Ref. 31260).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 02 July 2014 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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