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Caristius fasciatus
Caristius fasciatus, the Greenland manefish, is a species of fish.[2] DescriptionThis large-eyed round fish is compressed in cross section. It is a pale blue-grey in colour with a few irregular darker bars and a dark, sail-like dorsal fin. The anal fins, like the dorsal fin, are dark, while the caudal and pectoral fins are small and translucent.[3] Their dorsal, pectoral and anal fins have no spines and are made up of only soft rays (31-34, 16-18 and 18-21 rays respectively). The longest recorded individual was 30 cm (12 in) long.[4] Similar speciesThe Greenland manefish has fewer and larger teeth and fewer vertebrae than Caristius macropus and Caristius meridionalis. It differs from Caristius digitus through the lack of a series of fingerlike papillae inside the opercle (the Greenland manefish has at most one), the short conical pharyngeal teeth (they are elongated in C. digitus), and fewer gill rakers.[5] Distribution and habitatThis species is found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. It is known from the oceans around Argentina, Canada, Greenland, Namibia and South Africa.[4] This species is found in the bethypelagic zone at depths of 100–420 m (330–1,380 ft).[6] This species may, however, also rarely be found closer to the coast. In South Africa, for example, it was photographed at a depth of 15 m (49 ft) off Oudekraal.[3] EcologyWhile the diet of these species has not been examined in any detail, it is known to eat pelagic crustaceans, such as plankton.[7] From the capture of females and juveniles, it is believed that spawning occurs on the edges of sub-tropical waters, such as the Sargasso Sea, around the Gulf Stream and off the Azores.[8] References
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