Fish of the Melanostigma genus of the Zoarcidae (eelpouts) family of the suborder Zoarcoidei of the Perciformes order of the Acanthopterygii superorder.
(Atlantic soft pout. Photo by © Don Flescher. fishbase.org)
Atlantic soft pout (Melanostigma atlanticum) was first described in 1952 by the Norwegian zoologist Einar Koefoed (Einar Laurentius Koefoed, 1875-1963).
It inhabits the depth of 400-1853 meters. The maximum recorded length is 15 cm. It feeds on zooplankton.
(Atlantic soft pout. Photo by © David Shale. mindenpictures.com)
It is a rare inhabitant of the Adriatic. It was registered a couple of times in its southern part.
Names of Atlantic soft pout (Melanostigma atlanticum) in other languages as follows:
Chato (Spanish), Muso morbido atlantico (Italian), Atlantische Weichquappe (German), Атлантическая меланостигма (Atlanticheskaja melanostigma) (Russian), Atlantski usnik (Serbian, Croatian).