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iNat·196869SpeciesActinopterygii0 field observations
  1. Animals
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  7. ›Spikefishes and Tripodfishes
  8. ›Spikefishes
  9. ›Mephisto
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Mephisto fraserbrunneri

Mephisto fraserbrunneri is a species of spikefish known from the Bay of Bengal near the Andaman Islands where it has been found at a depth of 291 metres (955 ft). This species is the only known member of its genus....

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From the article Mephisto fraserbrunneri on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section

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Description

Mephisto fraserbrunneri has 6 spines and 16 soft rays in the dorsal fin while the anal fin has 14 soft rays. The pectoral fin has 14 soft rays and the pelvic fin has a single spine and a single soft ray. The gill slit is long, reaching down as far as just under the lower edge of the base of the pectoral fin. The colour of the body is pinkish, other than a pale silvery patch on the abdomen and darker blotching on the upper half of the body. This species has a maximum published standard length of 105.8 mm (4.17 in).

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Range & habitat

Mephisto fraserbrunneri is found in the Indian Ocean. The holotype was collected in the Andaman Sea, with other specimens collected from off Somalia, off Kerala and in the Lakshadweep Sea. The specimens have been collected from depths between 176 and 415 m (577 and 1,362 ft).

Wikipedia: “Distribution and habitat”

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What it does

Mephisto fraserbrunneri have had their diet investigated by examining the gut contents. The diet was dominated by formaniferans, both benthic and pelagic species, as well as pteropods, tusk shells, echinoderm parts and crustaceans.

== References ==

Wikipedia: “Diet”

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In human culture

Mephisto fraserbrunneri is classified within the genus Mephisto, this is the name of a demon, the Mephistopheles of the Faustian tales of German folklore. This name refres to the reddish exterior, black interior and horn-like spikes of the type species. The specific name honours the British ichthyologist Alec Fraser-Brunner, who when Tyler described this species was director of the Van Kleef Aquarium in Singapore, for his work on fishes in the order Plectognathi.

Wikipedia: “Etymology”

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Where it lives

Recorded sightings

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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.

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This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 196869.