Teleostei (teleosts) >
Scombriformes (Mackerels) >
Nomeidae (Driftfishes)
Etymology: Cubiceps: Latin, cubus = cube + Latin, ceps = head (Ref. 45335).
Eponymy: R E Baxter was an amateur naturalist on Lord Howe Island. He sent ‘an interesting collection’ of fish specimens to the Australian Museum, including the fathead holotype.He was still making observations and sending material in the 1950s. (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; pelagic-oceanic; depth range 1 - 100 m (Ref. 58302). Subtropical; 32°N - 47°S
Atlantic and Pacific: in tropical and subtropical waters. A single record to date from the Indian Ocean.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 100.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 6891)
An oceanic, epipelagic to mesopelagic species (Ref. 6891). Feeds mainly on salps (Ref. 33689). Potentially valuable food fish in warm temperate and tropical areas of the Indo-Pacific (Ref. 9811). May be caught using a pelagic trawl (Ref. 33689).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Haedrich, R.L., 1990. Nomeidae. p. 1014-1018. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2. (Ref. 6891)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of potential interest
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