Aristostomias

Aristostomias
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Stomiiformes
Family:	Stomiidae
Subfamily:	Malacosteinae
Genus:	Aristostomias Zugmayer, 1913
Type species
Aristostomias grimaldii Zugmayer, 1913
Synonyms
Zastomias C. H. Gilbert, 1915

Aristostomias is a genus of barbeled dragonfishes native to the ocean depths in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.[1]

Red Light Bioluminescence

Production of red light bioluminescence

Similar to other deep-sea organisms that are capable of producing red light bioluminescence, including Pachystomias, Aristostomias has large suborbital photophores that produce red-shifted cold light.[2] In addition, Aristostomias has postorbital photophores that emit blue-green light.[3]

Visual systems

Most meso- and bathypelagic fish are only able to see shortwave light, as their retinae possess rods with rhodopsins sensitive to blue light.[4] Aristostomias is able to detect red-shifted light, as their retinae have long-wave absorbing rhodopsins and porphyropsins that can detect wavelengths of up to 590 nm.[5] Aristostomias can detect red light at distances of up to 2 meters, suggesting that detection is used primarily for close-range intraspecific communication and short-range prey detection.[6]

Species

There are currently six recognized species in this genus:[1]

• Aristostomias grimaldii Zugmayer, 1913
• Aristostomias lunifer Regan & Trewavas, 1930
• Aristostomias polydactylus Regan & Trewavas, 1930
• Aristostomias scintillans (C. H. Gilbert, 1915) (Shiny loosejaw)
• Aristostomias tittmanni W. W. Welsh, 1923 (Loosejaw)
• Aristostomias xenostoma Regan & Trewavas, 1930

References

1. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Aristostomtias". FishBase. February 2012 version.
2. Herring, Peter J.; Cope, Celia (2005-12-01). "Red bioluminescence in fishes: on the suborbital photophores of Malacosteus, Pachystomias and Aristostomias". Marine Biology. 148 (2): 383–394. doi:10.1007/s00227-005-0085-3. ISSN 1432-1793. S2CID 86463272.
3. O'Day, William T.; Fernandez, Hector R. (1974-07-01). "Aristostomias scintillans (Malacosteidae): A deep-sea fish with visual pigments apparently adapted to its own bioluminescence". Vision Research. 14 (7): 545–550. doi:10.1016/0042-6989(74)90044-3. ISSN 0042-6989. PMID 4424870.
4. Kenaley, Christopher P.; DeVaney, Shannon C.; Fjeran, Taylor T. (2014-01-30). "The Complex Evolutionary History of Seeing Red: Molecular Phylogeny and the Evolution of an Adaptive Visual System in Deep-Sea Dragonfishes (Stomiiformes: Stomiidae)". Evolution. 68 (4): 996–1013. doi:10.1111/evo.12322. ISSN 0014-3820. PMID 24274363. S2CID 634524.
5. Douglas, R. H.; Mullineaux, C. W.; Partridge, J. C. (2000-09-29). "Longwave sensitivity in deepsea stomiid dragonfish with farred bioluminescence: evidence for a dietary origin of the chlorophyllderived retinal photosensitizer of Malacosteus niger". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences. 355 (1401): 1269–1272. doi:10.1098/rstb.2000.0681. PMC 1692851. PMID 11079412.
6. Partridge, Julian C.; Douglas, Ron H. (May 1995). "Far-red sensitivity of dragon fish". Nature. 375 (6526): 21–22. doi:10.1038/375021a0. ISSN 1476-4687. S2CID 29530345.