Anotopterus pharao
Encyclopedia
Daggertooth is a daggertooth
described in 1911 by E. Zugmayer. The distribution occurs in the North Atlantic Ocean and west of Africa
. The record size for this species is 96 cm and was hermaphroditic.
Daggerteeth are occasionally found dead in bottom trawls that look for firefly squid
or shrimp
. They are similar to needlefish
or gar
s. However, they are distinct. Netted daggertooth specimens are rarely identifiable, mostly because of their soft bodies, which are easily torn or flattened. This is typical of benthic animals of the deep ocean, like some transparent squids. In fact, the bodies are so soft that when pushed againsed the back of a trawl net, they often die because their organs are crushed and they rip. The habitat of the daggertooth is the open abyss, where there are few obstacles with which to come into physical contact.
Anotopterus
The daggertooths are a genus of aulopiform fish, the sole genus of the family Anotopteridae. They are found in oceans worldwide, but prefer cooler waters....
described in 1911 by E. Zugmayer. The distribution occurs in the North Atlantic Ocean and west of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. The record size for this species is 96 cm and was hermaphroditic.
Daggerteeth are occasionally found dead in bottom trawls that look for firefly squid
Firefly squid
The Sparkling Enope Squid , also known as the Firefly Squid, is a species of squid in the family Enoploteuthidae. It is the sole species in the genus Watasenia.-Species characteristics:...
or shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
. They are similar to needlefish
Needlefish
Needlefish are piscivorous fishes primarily associated with very shallow marine habitats or the surface of the open sea. Some genera include species found in marine, brackish, and freshwater environments while a few genera are confined to freshwater rivers and streams, including Belonion,...
or gar
Gar
In American English the name gar is strictly applied to members of the Lepisosteidae, a family including seven living species of fish in two genera that inhabit fresh, brackish, and occasionally marine, waters of eastern North America, Central America, and the Caribbean islands.-Etymology:In...
s. However, they are distinct. Netted daggertooth specimens are rarely identifiable, mostly because of their soft bodies, which are easily torn or flattened. This is typical of benthic animals of the deep ocean, like some transparent squids. In fact, the bodies are so soft that when pushed againsed the back of a trawl net, they often die because their organs are crushed and they rip. The habitat of the daggertooth is the open abyss, where there are few obstacles with which to come into physical contact.