Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) >
Osmeriformes (Smelts) >
Alepocephalidae (Slickheads)
Etymology: Alepocephalus: Greek, alepos, alepidotos = without scales + Greek, kephale = head (Ref. 45335). More on author: Goode, Bean.
Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 600 - 2500 m (Ref. 4460). Deep-water; 70°N - 15°N, 72°W - 5°W (Ref. 57313)
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 79.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4460); common length : 70.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4736)
Eastern Atlantic: Iceland and Greenland, west of British Isles, Morocco south to Mauritania. Western Atlantic: Davis Strait south to Honduras.
Bathypelagic (Ref. 58426). Found over sand and clay bottoms. Gregarious. Feeds mostly ctenophores, but also crustaceans, echinoderms and polychaetes (Ref. 4460).
Markle, D.F. and Y.I. Sazanov, 1990. Alepocephalidae. p. 246-264. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 1.
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 90363)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of potential interest
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Estimates of some properties based on empirical models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82805): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00610 (-0.22499 - 0.23719), b=3.08 (2.95 - 3.20), based on LWR estimates for this family-BS (Ref.
93245).
Trophic Level (Ref.
69278): 3.4 ±0.39 se; Based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
69278): Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): High to very high vulnerability (70 of 100) .