Stephanoberycidae

Pricklefishes
Stephanoberyx monae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Stephanoberyciformes
Family:	Stephanoberycidae
Genera
Acanthochaenus Malacosarcus Stephanoberyx See text for species.

Pricklefishes are a family, Stephanoberycidae, of fishes in the order Stephanoberyciformes.

They are found in tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and to the Indian Ocean off the coast of South Africa.

They are deep-water fishes and have been found down to 5,000 m. It is thought that they are bathypelagic (deep ocean dwelling) or benthic (bottom dwelling) as they are known to eat crabs.

Their common name derives from the large spiny form of their scales.

Species

There are three species in three genera:

• Genus Acanthochaenus
  • Acanthochaenus luetkenii Gill, 1884.
• Genus Malacosarcus
  • Malacosarcus macrostoma (Günther, 1878).
• Genus Stephanoberyx
  • Stephanoberyx monae Gill, 1883.

References

• Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Stephanoberycidae". FishBase. MarchFebruary 2006 version.