Malacosteus niger

Malacosteus niger
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Stomiiformes
Family: Stomiidae
Genus: Malacosteus
Species:
M. niger
Binomial name
Malacosteus niger
Ayres, 1848
Synonyms
  • Malacosteus choristodactylus Vaillant, 1888
  • Malacosteus danae Regan & Trewavas, 1930
  • Malacosteus indicus Günther, 1878

Malacosteus niger, commonly known as the black dragon fish, is a species of deep-sea fish. Some additional common names for this species include: northern stoplight loosejaw, lightless loosejaw, black loosejaw, and black hinged-head.[1] It belongs to the family Stomiidae, or dragonfishes. It is among the top predators of the open mesopelagic zone.[2] M. niger is a circumglobal species, which means that it inhabits waters ranging from the tropics to the subarctics.[3] Not many studies have been conducted on its feeding habits, but recent research suggests that M. niger primarily feed on calanoid copepods which is a form of zooplankton. Indeed, it appears that M. niger primarily prey on zooplankton despite its apparent morphological adaptations for the consumption of relatively large prey.[2] Another unique adaptation for this species is its ability to produce both red and blue bioluminescence. Most mesopelagic species aren't capable of producing red bioluminescence. This is advantageous because most other species cannot perceive red light, therefore allowing M. niger to camouflage part of itself to its prey and predators.

A headshot of Malacosteus niger showing the red and blue bioluminescence regions.
An animated image of Malacosteus niger.
Flashing of photophores of Malacosteus niger, showing red fluorescence modifying the bioluminescence
  1. ^ a b Harold, A. 2015. Malacosteus niger. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 20 February 2016.
  2. ^ a b Sutton, Tracey T. (2005-11-01). "Trophic ecology of the deep-sea fish Malacosteus niger (Pisces: Stomiidae): An enigmatic feeding ecology to facilitate a unique visual system?". Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 52 (11): 2065–2076. Bibcode:2005DSRI...52.2065S. doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2005.06.011. ISSN 0967-0637.
  3. ^ McIntyre, Alasdair D. (2005). "Proxy login - URI Libraries". Fisheries Research. 72 (2–3): 361–362. doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2005.02.004. Retrieved 2021-10-16.