Black gemfish (Nesiarchus nasutus)

Scientific name: Nesiarchus nasutus Johnson, 1862

The Black gemfish (Nesiarchus nasutus) is a marine fish of the family Gempylidae.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 20 - 22; Dorsal soft rays (total): 19-24; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 18 - 21; Vertebrae: 34 - 36. Body fairly elongate and strongly compressed. Mouth with fang-like teeth. The tips of both jaws with dermal processes. Gill rakers degenerated. Color is dark brown with violet tint; fin membranes black; margin of anus black.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Nesiarchus nasutus
Family: Gempylidae (Snake mackerels)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 130
Common length: 80.0
Depth range: 200–1200 m (656–3937 ft)
Environment: Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 200 - 1200 m
Climate: Deep-water
Distribution: Probably distributed worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas except in eastern Pacific and northern Indian oceans. Large-sized individuals stray in cold-temperate waters off Iceland, Norway, northern Japan and southern New Zealand. Reported from 19?41'S, 79?11'W.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: minor commercial
Resilience: Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026