The Domine (''Epinnula magistralis)'' is a
tropical
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
snake mackerel found in all oceans at depths of from . The largest specimen collected reached a meter in length, though few exceed .
Description
The Domine is identified by its deep, yet slender and compressed body, distinguishing it from other
elongate snake mackerels. Its genus name, ''Epinnula'', refers to its lack of finlets, unlike the related
Oilfish
Oilfish (''Ruvettus pretiosus'') are a species of snake mackerel with a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical and temperate oceans. They can be found at depths from , but most often between . Oilfish can grow to a length of , though most do not ...
.
Its jaws are fanged, some of which remain exposed even when the mouth is closed. It is a pale, grey-blue color, which becomes darker from the head to the tail.
[Nakamura, I. and N.V. Parin, 1993. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 15. Snake mackerels and cutlassfishes of the world (families Gempylidae and Trichiuridae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the snake mackerels, snoeks, escolars, gemfishes, sackfishes, domine, oilfish, cutlassfishes,. scabbardfishes, hairtails, and frostfishes known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(15):136 p.]
Habitat & Ecology
The Domine has only been found in the
Caribbean
The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
off the coast of
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
, the
Bahamas
The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...
, and the
Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands () are an archipelago between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and northeastern Caribbean Sea, geographically forming part of the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean, Caribbean islands or West Indie ...
. It is likely
mesopelagic
The mesopelagic zone (Greek language, Greek μέσον, middle), also known as the middle pelagic or twilight zone, is the part of the pelagic zone that lies between the photic epipelagic and the aphotic bathypelagic zones. It is defined by light ...
, having been found at depths between .
See also
* ''
Epinnula pacifica''
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2654209
Gempylidae
Fish described in 1854
Taxa named by Felipe Poey