Cape snaggletooth (Neonesthes capensis)

Scientific name: Neonesthes capensis Gilchrist & von Bonde, 1924

The Cape snaggletooth (Neonesthes capensis) is a marine fish of the family Stomiidae.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8-12; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 22 - 28. Body black in color, often iridescent. Teeth in jaws uniserial, very short, spine-like, about equally spaced. Snout shorter than eye (Ref 559). Anal fin with many rays; its base long, more than twice that of dorsal. Gill rakers much attenuated, numerous, close together.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Neonesthes capensis
Family: Stomiidae (Barbeled dragonfishes)
Order: Stomiiformes (Lightfishes and Dragonfishes)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 17.0
Depth range: 70–1650 m (230–5413 ft)
Environment: Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 70 - 1650 m
Climate: Deep-water
Distribution: Eastern Atlantic: southern Portugal to Mauritania, and from Namibia to South Africa. Western Atlantic: USA to Gulf of Mexico including western Caribbean, and from Brazil to Argentina. Indian Ocean: mostly 25?S, also taken in Arabian Sea. Pacific: mostly south of 25?S, also near Hawaii, off western USA.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Resilience: High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (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