Sharkmouth snailfish (Paraliparis plagiostomus)

Scientific name: Paraliparis plagiostomus Stein, Chernova & Andriashev, 2001

The Sharkmouth snailfish (Paraliparis plagiostomus) is a marine fish of the family Liparidae. Native range: Eastern Indian Ocean, west coast of Tasmania, Australia.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 59; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 54; Vertebrae: 65. Caudal-fin rays 8; pectoral fin deeply notched, pectoral girdle with 3 round radials; jaws long, mouth inferior, teeth tiny, tooth plates appear smooth; pores with distinctly contoured rims; chin pores one diameter apart; snout slanted, protruding, subrostral fold deep and entirely covering upper lip; interorbital narrow; pectoral upper ray horizontal with upper part of eye; upper pectoral lobe short, 63% HL, lower lobe short; gill opening equal to eye, dorsolaterally located, completely above horizontal through upper margin of eye; HL 18.7% SL, mandible-anus short, 10.9% SL; uniformly brownish-black, mouth and tooth plates dark grey, tongue black-dotted, gill arches dark grey, peritoneum black.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Paraliparis plagiostomus
Family
Liparidae (Snailfishes)
Order
Scorpaeniformes (Scorpionfishes and Flatheads)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
13.7
Depth range
987–993 m (3238–3258 ft)
Environment
Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 987 - 993 m
Climate
Deep-water
Distribution
Eastern Indian Ocean: west coast of Tasmania, Australia.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Data deficient (DD)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Assuming tmax>3)

Sources

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

Last updated