Smallmouth spiny eel
Species of fish
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The smallmouth spiny eel (Polyacanthonotus rissoanus), also called the shortspine tapirfish,[2] is a species of deep-sea spiny eel.[3][4][5]
| Smallmouth spiny eel | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Notacanthiformes |
| Family: | Notacanthidae |
| Genus: | Polyacanthonotus |
| Species: | P. rissoanus |
| Binomial name | |
| Polyacanthonotus rissoanus (De Filippi & Vérany, 1857) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Description
The smallmouth spiny eel is silver or brown in colour, with a maximum length of 36 cm (14 in). It has 26–36 dorsal soft rays. It looks similar to Polyacanthonotus africanus but its lateral line is lighter and less distinct. It has a small mouth and a short preoral snout. Mature males are distinguished by their black nostrils.[6]
Habitat
The smallmouth spiny eel lives in the Arctic waters off of Canada and in the North Atlantic Ocean off of Iceland, Ireland and Great Britain; it has also been observed in the waters off South Africa and in the Tasman Sea.[7][8] It is a benthic and bathydemersal species, living at depths of 500–2,800 m (1,600–9,200 ft).[9][10][11]
Behaviour
Polyacanthonotus rissoanus feeds on coelenterates, worms and crustaceans.[12]
