Codlet

Codlets are a family, Bregmacerotidae, of cod-like fishes, containing the single genus Bregmaceros.

They are found in tropical and subtropical waters throughout the world.

They are very small fishes: the big-eye unicorn-cod, Bregmaceros rarisquamosus, reaches no more than 1.5 cm, and even the largest, Bregmaceros lanceolatus, reaches only 11.5 cm.

Their scientific name is from Greek bregma meaning the top of the head, and keras meaning "horn"; this refers to their occipital ray (a spine emerging from the top of the head).

Species

There are twelve species:

Bregmaceros arabicus D'Ancona & Cavinato, 1965.
Antenna codlet, Bregmaceros atlanticus Goode & Bean, 1886.
Codlet, Bregmaceros bathymaster Jordan & Bollman, 1890.
Striped codlet, Bregmaceros cantori Milliken & Houde, 1984.
Stellate codlet, Bregmaceros houdei Saksena & Richards, 1986.
Japanese codlet, Bregmaceros japonicus Tanaka, 1908.
Bregmaceros lanceolatus Shen, 1960.
Spotted codlet, Macclelland's unicorn-cod, or Unicorn cod Bregmaceros mcclellandi Thompson, 1840.
Smallscale codlet, Bregmaceros nectabanus Whitley, 1941.
Bregmaceros neonectabanus Masuda, Ozawa & Tabeta, 1986.
Bregmaceros pescadorus Shen, 1960.
Big-eye unicorn-cod, Bregmaceros rarisquamosus Munro, 1950.

References

["Bregmacerotidae"]. FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. February 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
["Bregmaceros"]. FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. February 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.

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