Aethotaxis mitopteryx DeWitt, 1962
Longfin icedevil
Aethotaxis mitopteryx
photo by Zimmermann, C.

Family:  Nototheniidae (Cod icefishes), subfamily: Pleuragrammatinae
Max. size:  44.3 cm TL (male/unsexed); 33.6 cm TL (female); max.weight: 563.6 g
Environment:  bathypelagic; marine; depth range 400 - 1500 m
Distribution:  Southern Ocean: islands of the Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, Prydz Bay and the Ross Sea. A separate subspecies may be present in the Ross Sea population, but this needs more evidence (Ref. 5179). Reported from Olaf Prydz Bay, Mackenzie Sea, Indian sector of the Antarctic (Ref. 44178).
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 7-7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 34-34; Anal soft rays: 30-30. Gray with violet hue and lighter below with metallic luster. In alcohol, purplish gray or light brown dorsally (Ref. 11892).
Biology:  Feeds on zooplankton. The storage of lipids in cells of adipose tissue as well as the reduced calcification of the skeleton provide buoyancy to this species.
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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