''Cyclothone signata'', the showy bristlemouth, is a species 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 hor ...

in the genus

Cyclothone ''Cyclothone'' is a genus containing 13 extant species of bioluminescent fish, commonly known as 'bristlemouths' or 'bristlefishes' due to their shared characteristic of sharp, bristle-like teeth. These fishes typically grow to around 1-3 inche ...

. ''

Cyclothone alba ''Cyclothone alba'', commonly known as the bristlemouth, is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Cyclothone''. It is found across the world, in the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans. The species was originally described as a subspecies ...

'' was originally described as a subspecies of ''C. signata'': ''Cyclothone signata alba'', by

Brauer Brauer or Bräuer is a surname of German origin, meaning "brewer". Notable people with the name include:- * Alfred Brauer (1894–1985), German-American mathematician, brother of Richard * Andreas Brauer (born 1973), German film producer * Arik ...

in 1906.

Description

''C. signata'' is disruptively colored, typically being either gray or transparent.

Ecology

The species is usually found to be bimodally distributed among the shallow and deep ends of the

mesopelagic zone The mesopelagic zone (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, and begins ...

, and is thought to migrate vertically between them, feeding in the shallow areas, and descending to the deeper ocean to rest. The species is oviparous. Encounters with the species are rare, but one sample, taken off the coast of the

Gulf of Maine The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America. It is bounded by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and by Cape Sable Island at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northeast ...

in 1915, measured 23mm.

References

Gonostomatidae Fish described in 1899 Taxa named by Samuel Garman {{Stomiiformes-stub