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Species: Echiodon dawsoni, Chain Pearlfish

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tip of snout: skin flaps
both jaws: 1-2 fangs at front
free living?

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Echiodon dawsoni Williams & Shipp, 1982

Chain Pearlfish

Slender, short, cylindrical body, long slender tail; snout overhangs lower jaw; horizontal diameter of eye 18-24% of head length; 2-3 small fleshy flaps at tip of snout above top lip; rear margin of top jaw bone not covered by skin; 1-2 large curved fangs at front of both jaws, those separated by a gap from bands of small, conical rear teeth; roof of mouth with small conical teeth at center and sides; gill opening extends above mid-side; gill rakers – 3 rudiments above & 6 below, 3 developed rakers; dorsal and anal fins low, confluent with tail fin; dorsal origin well behind origin of anal; .anal fin rays longer than dorsal fin rays opposite them; dorsal fin ~119-129, anal rays ~120-124; well developed pectoral fin with 18-20 rays; anus and origin of anal fin well behind base of pectoral fin.

Translucent with a white sheen, with brown pigment around vertebrae forming a chain-like line along body; stomach pale tan; large internal star-shaped blotches of brown pigment over brain, around lower edge of eye, on the snout, lower jaw.

Size: 11.2 cm.

Habitat: may be free living; collected by dredges and trawls on soft bottoms.

Depth: 63-180 m.

Cape Cod to S Brazil.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Sand & gravel
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Soft bottom only
  • Mud
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Bony fishes
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Also in Brazil
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Extends N + S of GC
  • Extends North of GC
  • Extends South of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • Island (s)
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Temperate (>35N)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 11.2
Depth Range Min
  • 63
Depth Range Max
  • 180