Family GONOSTOMATIDAE
Bristlemouths, Lightfishes
Compiler and date details
John R. Paxton, Jennifer E. Gates, Dianne J. Bray & Douglass F. Hoese
Introduction
The Gonostomatidae include eight genera and about 26 species. Sixteen species in six genera have been taken in Australian waters. Previously, Grey (1964) included genera now placed in the family Phosichthyidae. The classifications of Weitzman (1974) and Nelson (1994) are followed here, recognising Gonostomatidae and Phosichthyidae as distinct families. Nelson (2006) provisionally placed three genera usually included in Gonostomatidae into a separate family, the Diplophidae — this arrangement is not used here.
Lightfishes and bristlemouths are meso- and bathypelagic in the waters of all oceans. Recorded food items include small fishes and crustaceans. Lightfishes are compressed, moderately elongate fishes with ventral rows of light organs. They differ from the closely related Sternoptychidae by having more branchiostegal rays and photophores, and a different photophore microstructure. They also differ from phosichthyids in the microstructure of the light organ, as well as having more pectoral radials. A few lightfishes attain 25 cm in length.
Grey (1964) reviewed the gonostomatids of the western North Atlantic. For the Pacific region, Kawaguchi (1971) described the species from the north-west and Spanovskaya & Grigorash (1979) reviewed the distribution of species from the south-west. Harold (1999) provided a key to genera occurring in Australia. The relationships of the family are discussed by Harold (1998).
General References
Grey, M. 1964. Family Gonostomatidae. 78-240 figs 21-61 in Olsen, Y.H. Fishes of the western North Atlantic. Memoir. Sears Foundation of Marine Research 1(4): 1-599
Harold, A.S. 1998. Phylogenetic relationships of the Gonostomatidae (Teleostei: Stomiiformes). Bulletin of Marine Science 62(3): 715-741
Harold, A.S. 1999. Families Gonostomatidae, Sternoptychidae, Phosichthyidae, Astronesthidae, Stomiidae, Chauliodontidae, Melanostomiidae, Idiacanthidae, Malacosteidae. pp. 1896-1917 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 1397-2068 pp.
Kawaguchi, K. 1971. Gonostomatid fishes of the western North Pacific. Japanese Journal of Ichthyology 18(1): 1-16 figs 1-7 pls 1-3
Nelson, J.S. 1994. Fishes of the World. New York : John Wiley & Sons 600 pp.
Nelson, J.S. 2006. Fishes of the World. Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 601 pp.
Spanovskaya, V.D. & Grigorash, V.A. 1979. Gonostomatids (Fam. Gonostomatidae) of the Australian-New Zealand region. Trudy Instituta Okeanologii. Akademiya Nauk SSSR. Moskva 106: 57-68 figs 1-2 [in Russian]
Weitzman, S.H. 1974. Osteology and evolutionary relationships of the Sternoptychidae, with a new classification of stomiatoid families. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 153(3): 327-478 figs 1-113
Common Name References
Harold, A.S. 1999. Families Gonostomatidae, Sternoptychidae, Phosichthyidae, Astronesthidae, Stomiidae, Chauliodontidae, Melanostomiidae, Idiacanthidae, Malacosteidae. pp. 1896-1917 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 1397-2068 pp. [1896] (FAO) (Bristlemouths)
Paxton, J.R., Hoese, D.F., Allen, G.R. & Hanley, J.E. (eds) 1989. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Pisces: Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 7 665 pp. (Lightfishes)