Bathylychnops exilis
Bathylychnops exilis, the Javelin spookfish, is a species of barreleye found in the northern Pacific and in the eastern Atlantic Ocean near the Azores where it is found at depths of around 640 metres (2,100 ft). This species grows to a length of 50 centimetres (20 in) SL.[3]
| Javelin spookfish | |
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| Javelin spookfish | |
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1) | |
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| Species: | B. exilis |
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| Bathylychnops exilis [1] Cohen, 1958[2] | |
The species is notable for unusual protuberances that grow from its eyes, which each have "a well developed lens"[4] and a retina, and which have led to the species being called a "four-eyed" fish.[4] It has been suggested that the purpose of these extra eyes is detection of threats from below, since these eyes point downwards.[5]
References
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System: Bathylychnops exilis
- Cohen DM (1958). Bathylychnops exilis, a new genus and species of argentinoid fish from the North Pacific. Stanford Ichthyological Bulletin 7, 47-52.
- Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). "Bathylychnops exilis" in FishBase. February 2012 version.
- Pearcy WG, Meyer SL, Munk O (1965). A 'Four-Eyed' Fish from the Deep-Sea: Bathylychnops exilis Cohen, 1958. Nature 207, 1260-1262.
- Dawkins R (2009). The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution. London: Bantam Press.
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