Bubble-head snailfish (Paraliparis bullacephalus)

Scientific name: Paraliparis bullacephalus Busby & Cartwright, 2009

The Bubble-head snailfish (Paraliparis bullacephalus) is a marine fish of the family Liparidae. Native range: Gulf of Alaska.

Biology

Dorsal soft rays (total): 60; Anal soft rays: 53 - 55; Vertebrae: 63 - 64. The species is distinguished from its congeners by the following set of characters: D 60; A 53-55; pectoral-fin rays 20-21; caudal-fin rays 6; vertebrae 63-64; dorsal contour of head rounded to snout, covered with gelatinous tissue; short snout with rounded tip projecting past upper jaw; small mouth, horizontal, inferior, with cleft reaching to nearly vertical below center of eye; large eye with dorsal margin level with or slightly above top of gill opening; large opercular flap, rounded, projecting slightly toward dorsal; upper lobe of pectoral fin with 15 rays, one in notch, and 4 or 5 in lower lobe, both lobes extending beyond anal-fin origin; cephalic pores are equal to or smaller in diameter than nostril; suprabranchial pore elevated, anterior of gill opening a distance about equal to opercular flap width; 3 pyloric caeca.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Paraliparis bullacephalus
Family
Liparidae (Snailfishes)
Order
Scorpaeniformes (Scorpionfishes and Flatheads)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
6.2
Depth range
233–322 m (764–1056 ft)
Environment
Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 233 - 322 m
Climate
Temperate
Distribution
Gulf of Alaska.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless

Sources

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

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