Ribbon sawtail fish (Idiacanthus fasciola)

Scientific name: Idiacanthus fasciola Peters, 1877

The Ribbon sawtail fish (Idiacanthus fasciola) is a marine fish of the family Stomiidae.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 62-72; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 39 - 46. Pelvic fins of females with 6 soft rays, absent in males. No true gill rakers. Dark brown or pale in male and black or dark brownish black in female.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Idiacanthus fasciola
Family: Stomiidae (Barbeled dragonfishes)
Order: Stomiiformes (Lightfishes and Dragonfishes)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 48.9
Depth range: 0–2000 m (0–6562 ft)
Environment: Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 0 - 2000 m
Climate: Deep-water
Distribution: North Atlantic: north of 10?N. South Atlantic: southern tip of Africa. Also recorded from the Patagonian region of Argentina. Indo-Pacific: across the Indian Ocean north of about 23?S to west and central Pacific between 27?N and 23?S. South China Sea and water near Taiwan Province.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 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