Slendertail grenadier (Mataeocephalus tenuicauda)

Scientific name: Mataeocephalus tenuicauda Garman, 1899

The Slendertail grenadier (Mataeocephalus tenuicauda) is a marine fish of the family Macrouridae. Native range: Eastern Pacific, off the Pacific coast of Panama, Colombia and Ecuador; Cocos and Galapagos islands.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 2; Anal spines: 0. Eyes large; snout long, with a prominent, bifid terminal scute; underside of the head almost entirely naked, with relatively little ventral overlap of scales along the leading edge of the snout. Body scales with short, conical spinules, arranged in parallel rows. Periproct large, oval, several scale rows from anal fin. Pyloric caeca 16 to 21.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Mataeocephalus tenuicauda
Family: Macrouridae (Grenadiers or rattails)
Order: Gadiformes (Cods)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 30.0
Depth range: 700–1600 m (2297–5249 ft)
Environment: Marine; bathypelagic; non-migratory; depth range 700 - 1600 m
Climate: Deep-water
Distribution: Eastern Pacific: off the Pacific coast of Panama, Colombia and Ecuador; Cocos and Galapagos islands.
Conservation status (IUCN): Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: of no interest
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