Psilodraco

Psilodraco was first described as a genus in 1937 by the British ichthyologist John Roxborough Norman when he was describing the only species in this monotypic genus, Psilodraco breviceps,^[1] the type of which had been collected by the Discovery Expedition off South Georgia.^[2]

The genus name compounds psilos, which means "naked", a reference Norman did not explain, but this species lacks any obvious scales; and draco, meaning "dragon", a common suffix used in name notothenioids. The specific name, breviceps, means "short head", this species having a shorter snout than Gymnodraco acuticeps.^[3]

Psilodraco has a naked, compressed body, the only scales being the imperforated scales that make up the five lateral lines. There is a strong ridge on the operculum which ends in a short, flattened spine and a flattened, hooked process. The snout is short, slightly concave and pointed. The mouth has a band of canine like teeth, made up of multiple series. The outermost series are enlarged, with the most enlarged behind the symphysis on the upper jaw. There are 28-30 soft rays in the dorsal fin and 27-29 in the anal fin. In alcohol this fish is brown, covered in darker spots, paler on the underside and on the fins.^[4] This species attains a maximum standard length of 20 cm (7.9 in).^[5]

Psilodraco is found in the Southern Ocean, where it is endemic to the insular shelf of South Georgia. This is a demersal species which is found at depths of 60 to 345 m (197 to 1,132 ft), typically between 248 and 345 m (814 and 1,132 ft).^[5]

Psilodraco spawns in the late autumn and early winter, and the eggs probably hatch during the winter. A sampled female had ovaries which contained 1,340 eggs.^[4] It is a synchronous spawner.^[5]