Ceratias uranoscopus, the stargazing seadevil, is a species of marineray-finned fish belonging to the familyCeratiidae, the warty sea devils. The fish is both bathypelagic and mesopelagic and can typically be found at depths ranging from 500 to 1,000 metres (1,600 to 3,300 ft). It is endemic to tropical waters and can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.
Ceratias uranoscopus belongs to the genus Ceratias, this name means "horn bearer", an allusion to the esca sticking up from the snout. The specific nameuranoscopus means is a combination of urano, meaning "sky", with scopus, meaning "watcher", an allusion to the eyes being positioned high on the head.[5]
Description
Ceratias uranoscopus is sexually dimorphic, and the metamorphosed females can be distinguished from the metamorphosed females of other species in the genus Ceratias by the morphology of its esca, which is dark in colour, except for its unpigmented tip. The esca has no appendages and the illicium has a length equivalent to 14% to 28.8% of the fish's standard length. Vomerine teeth are always absent.[6] This species has a maximum published total length of 24 cm (9.4 in).[2]
Distribution and habitat
Ceratias uranoscopus is found in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, where it has been collected widely, but only two specimens have been collected in the Indian Ocean. It is a mesopelagic and bathypelagic species found at depths between 95 and 4,000 m (312 and 13,123 ft), although specimens are typically collected between 500 and 1,000 m (1,600 and 3,300 ft).[1]
