Abyssal grenadier

Abyssal grenadier
Abyssal grenadier Coryphaenoides armatus Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Gadiformes
Family:	Macrouridae
Genus:	Coryphaenoides
Species:	C. armatus
Binomial name
Coryphaenoides armatus (Hector, 1875)

The Abyssal grenadier (Coryphaenoides armatus) is a fish of the genus Coryphaenoides, found all the world's oceans, at depths of between 800 and 4,000 metres. Its length is between 20 to 40 centimetres, although Fishbase gives lengths of up to 1 metre .

The Abyssal grenadier has the usual greatly elongated pointed tail of the rattails, as well as large eyes and a ridged conical snout. Its head is relatively small, with a humped forehead just before the high first dorsal fin which has an elongate and serrate first spine. The photophore extends past midway between the anal origin and the ventral insertion.

Color is uniformly brownish, except for the abdomen which is bluish. It has a small chin barbel and a long first pelvic fin ray.

The Abyssal grenadier feeds on a variety of benthic invertebrates, especially crustaceans and holothuroids, when young, switching to primarily mesopelagic and bathypelagic fish, and sea urchins and cephalopods as adults.

References

• Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Coryphaenoides armatus". FishBase. January 2006 version.
• Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8