ABSTRACT
Sixteen species in eight genera of gonostomatids are found in our area and the members of the genus Cyclothone are found in most offshore plankton collections. Of the eight genera, larval stages are known for all but the monotypic Triplophos and most species are known except for two of the eight species of Cyclothone. The composition of the gonostomatids has undergone several changes in the past 20 years and relationships are still not resolved. Recently molecular data have been utilized and the relationships are clearer within the family (Miya & Nishida 2000). The family is cosmopolitan and all genera are represented in our area: Diplophos taenia, Manducus maderensis, Triplophos hemingi, Bonapartia pedaliota (Eschmeyer 1998 suggests that the replacement name Zaphotias Goode & Bean in Jordan & Evermann 1898 should be used), Margrethia obtusirostre, Gonostoma atlanticum, Sigmops bathyphilum & S. elongatum (removed from Gonostoma and placed in Sigmops Gill by Miya & Nishida 2000), and Cyclothone with eight species-acclindens, alba, braueri, microdon, obscura, pallida, parapallida, and pseudopallida.
