Bathyceratias trilynchnus, the three-starred anglerfish, is a hypothetical species of anglerfish observed by William Beebe while in his bathysphere on 11 August 1934, at a depth of 2,470 feet (750 metres) off the coast of Bermuda.
Description
Beebe first witnessed the fish from a distance, with its light faintly reflecting on its back. Getting a clearer view once it swam into the beam of his bathysphere, it was described as similar to the ceratias and cryptopsaras, but with a flattened mouth and short, even teeth. It was ovoid, black in color, six inches in length, and possessed three illicium, each tipped with a pale yellow light organ.
Current status
As with the other four species described by Beebe during his bathysphere dives, the three-starred anglerfish has not been observed since.
See also
References
- ^ Beebe, William (1934). Half Mile Down (PDF). New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company. p. 211.
- Matsen, Brad (2007). Descent: The Heroic Discovery of the Abyss. Knopf Doubleday Publishing. ISBN 9780307425492.
- Ellis, Richard (2006). Singing Whales and Flying Squid: The Discovery of Marine Life. Lyons Press. p. 44. ISBN 9781461748960.