Fish · stomiiform

Müller’s pearlside

Maurolicus muelleri

PacificAtlanticIndianSouthernArctic A single ocean

Depth

Often 150 to 250 m by day, rises to 50 m at night. Reported down to about 1,500 m

Size

Often 4 cm, at most 8 cm

Diet

Small planktonic crustaceans

Zone

Twilight zone · 200 – 1,000 m

Key facts

• It lives in dense layers that ships’ echo sounders detect.
• Its eyes have a type of cell discovered in 2017: “rod-like cones”, made for seeing in twilight.
• Tuna, hake, squid, common dolphins and fin whales eat it.
• When spotted by a predator, it suddenly dives up to 50 m deeper.

Verified sources

1. Rees et al. 2020, Scientific Reports : Global phylogeography of Maurolicus
2. University of Queensland : Deep-sea fish reveals twilight vision trick (2017)
3. Wikipédia (point de départ, références FishBase, Staby et al. 2011, Christiansen et al. 2021)

In the game: Prey: +10 points

In the same zone

Oceanic lightfishVinciguerria nimbaria Swordtail squidChiroteuthis calyx Odd bobtail squidHeteroteuthis dispar LanternfishFamily Myctophidae HatchetfishArgyropelecus sp. Jewel squidHistioteuthis sp.