Smooth oreo
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 Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling
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| Pseudocyttus maculatus Gilchrist, 1906 |
The smooth oreo or smooth dory, Pseudocyttus maculatus, is an oreo, the only species in the genus Pseudocyttus. It is found in all southern oceans at depths of between 400 and 1,500 metres. Its length is up to 60 cm.
The smooth oreo has an elongate diamond-shaped body with small fins and short, weak spines and very small easily dislodged scales.
The colour is grey-green with large dark spots on the back and sides.
Adult smooth oreos are found near the bottom, and juveniles near the surface, usually in association with krill. They feed mainly on salps. Their eggs float near the sea surface and the larvae also inhabit surface waters. There is no vertical migration during the day or night.
[edit] References
- "Pseudocyttus maculatus". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. March 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
- Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8
