The luminous hake (''Steindachneria argentea'') is a West Atlantic member of the

Merluccidae The Merlucciidae, commonly called merluccid hakes , are a family of cod-like fish, including most hakes. available for download at http://www.fao.org They are native to cold water in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and typically are found at ...

family. It is the only member of its genus.

Characteristics

Luminous hake grow to a maximum of in total length. They have a silver colored body with slight brown coloring in dorsal areas, a purple tint ventrally, and a dark

oral cavity In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on t ...

. They have big eyes on a large head and a tapering body that ends in a point since they have no

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as s ...

. Their

luminosity Luminosity is an absolute measure of radiated electromagnetic power (light), the radiant power emitted by a light-emitting object over time. In astronomy, luminosity is the total amount of electromagnetic energy emitted per unit of time by a s ...

comes from a characteristic striated light organ on the sides of the head and lower (ventral) half of the body. The anus is found between the

pelvic fin Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral surface of fish. The paired pelvic fins are homologous to the hindlimbs of tetrapods. Structure and function Structure In actinopterygians, the pelvic fin consists of two e ...

s and is widely separated from the

urogenital The genitourinary system, or urogenital system, are the organs of the reproductive system and the urinary system. These are grouped together because of their proximity to each other, their common embryological origin and the use of common path ...

opening located anterior to the

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as s ...

.Hoese, H. Dickson and Moore, Richard. (1998). “Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico: Texas, Louisiana, and Adjacent Waters” Luminous hake have uninterrupted lateral lines. They have a combined total of 18-20

gill raker Gill rakers in fish are bony or cartilaginous processes that project from the branchial arch (gill arch) and are involved with suspension feeding tiny prey. They are not to be confused with the gill filaments that compose the fleshy part of th ...

s with five on the upper limb and 13-15 on the lower limb. The front of the first of two

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through c ...

s is the location of its one spine. The one anal fin is made up of a total of 123-125 soft rays. They possess paired pectoral and pelvic fins. The pectoral fins have 14-17 soft rays. The pelvic fins are located in the

thoracic The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the crea ...

region.

Distribution

Luminous hake are common in deep water but can be found on the outer shelf and on soft muddy bottoms of the Western Atlantic,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

, northern

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United S ...

through

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...

. The luminous hake occur at a depth range of 400–500 meters.

Other information

* This species is of no interest by fisheries. * '' Merluccius albidus'' is a predator of luminous hake.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q136205 luminous hake Fish of the Caribbean Fish of the Gulf of Mexico luminous hake