ABSTRACT
Adult microstomatids are generally slender and silvery with a short blunt snout, and dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins placed at or behind mid-body. Most microstomatids are <20 cm SL (Moser & Butler 1996). The subfamily comprises five species in our areaMicrostoma microstoma, Nansenia longicauda, N.megalopa, N.pelagica, and Xenophthalmichthys danae (Carter & Hartel 2003b). In Nansenia, pelvic fins are located near the termination of the dorsal fin, whereas Microstoma and Xenophthalmichthys have pelvic fins placed in front of the dorsal fin origin.
