Pacific Barreleye Fish (''Macropinna'') is a genus of

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...

belonging to

Opisthoproctidae Barreleyes, also known as spook fish (a name also applied to several species of chimaera), are small deep-sea argentiniform fish comprising the family Opisthoproctidae found in tropical-to-temperate waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian ...

, the barreleye family. It contains one species, ''M. microstoma''. It is recognized for a highly unusual transparent, fluid-filled shield on its head, through which the lenses of its eyes can be seen. It was originally believed that the tubular eyes of this fish were fixed in place and, therefore, only provided a tunnel vision view of what was seen above its head. However, in 2008, scientists discovered that its eyes were able to rotate both up and forward in its transparent shield. ''M. microstoma'' has a tiny mouth and most of its body is covered with large scales. The fish normally hangs nearly motionless in the water, at a depth of about to , using its large fins for stability and with its eyes directed upward. In the low light conditions it is assumed the fish detects prey by its

silhouette A silhouette ( , ) is the image of a person, animal, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the silhou ...

. MBARI researchers Bruce Robison and Kim Reisenbichler observed that when prey such as small fish and

jellyfish Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrella- ...

are spotted, the eyes rotate like binoculars, facing forward as it turns its body from a horizontal to a vertical position to feed. Robison speculates that ''M. microstoma'' steals food from siphonophores.

Introduction

''Macropinna microstoma'' was discovered in 1939 by marine biologist W. M. Chapman, in deep temperate waters off of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans. It is restricted to deep oceanic water by its light-sensitive tubular eyes. The eyes are capped with bright green lenses, and surrounded by a fluid-filled shield. The presence of this fish was mostly unknown until 2004.

Environment

''M. microstoma'' is a deep-sea fish, living around 1015 meters below the water surface. It is found mostly off of California's coast and the North Pacific ocean. Living in such deep, dark waters results in the light sensitivity ''M. microstoma'' experiences. Because of this, the barreleye has upwards ocular viewing. To be able to see prey the barreleye looks upwards towards the surface light. ''M. microstoma'' can get as long as . It has a large, dome-shaped, transparent head. This protects its sensitive eyes from the nematocysts (stinging cells) of the siphonophores, from which it is believed to steal food. Through the dome, the entire inner part of the head can be seen, that is, their eyes, brain and all the nerve endings that make up their head. At first glance it seems that its eyes are at the front of their head in the form of two black holes; these are its olfactory organs. Marine biologists used to believe that the barreleye's eyes were fixed in its head, which would only allow it to look upward. Its large, flat fins allow it to remain nearly motionless in the water, and to maneuver very precisely. Most of the time, the fish hangs motionless in the water, with its body in a horizontal position and its eyes looking upward. The green pigments in its eyes may filter out sunlight coming directly from the sea surface, helping the barreleye spot the bioluminescent glow of jellyfish or other animals directly overhead.

Diet

''M. microstoma'' shares its deep-sea environment with many different types of

cnidaria Cnidaria () is a phylum under kingdom Animalia containing over 11,000 species of aquatic animals found both in Fresh water, freshwater and Marine habitats, marine environments, predominantly the latter. Their distinguishing feature is cnidocyt ...

ns. Some of the most common are siphonophores (which can reach length of 30 feet). The barreleye has a strong digestive system and it usually feeds on cnidarians and small drifting animals. The small marine creatures trapped on the tentacles of the cnidarians are also targeted by the barreleye fish.

Reproduction

''M. microstoma'' is thought to be a pelagic spawner (the eggs are coated with a layer of oil that allows them to float on the closest surface of the sea until they hatch). The female lays eggs in water and male releases sperms in water. After hatching, the larvae begin to descend to the depths as they grow, feeding on zooplankton and other small particles of organic material. It is believed that there is no sexual dimorphism between the male and the female and that they do not care for their young. ''M. microstoma'' has been known to science since 1939, but is not known to have been photographed alive until 2004. Old drawings do not show the transparent dome, as it is usually destroyed when brought up from the depths. It is broadly distributed across the northern

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

, from the

Bering Sea The Bering Sea (, ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasses on Earth: Eurasia and The Amer ...

to Japan and

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

References

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