Whew, we've been really busy with field work recently, but here's a cool fish we found washed up on the beach back in February. Note the beautiful silvery photophores (especially along the gill cover). What do you think? Possibly a midshipman (Porichthys sp.)? Which species? Any thoughts would be appreciated!
3 comments:
Hi Jackie! It does look like a midshipman. A way to tell between specklefin and plainfin is to look at the arrangement of the photophores under the chin. If I am remembering correctly, plainfin will have a U-shape and the photophores of the specklefin are arranged in more of a V. It's really difficult to tell otherwise especially at this small size.
I agree Jackie that it could be midshipman. The speckle fin (P. myriaster).
Midshipmen have the pelvic fin close to or under the head. And tiny spines in the first dorsal fin. Can't tell from the photo. Did you notice these fins?
Thanks, Matt and Paul! I have a few other photos -- they might show the fins, but I don't think I photographed the underside (unfortunately). I'll let you know if there are any other photos that might be useful.
Best,
Jackie
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