Slender unicorn rattail

Slender unicorn rattail
Slender unicorn rattail, Trachyrincus longirostris Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Gadiformes
Family:	Macrouridae
Genus:	Trachyrincus
Species:	T. longirostris
Binomial name
Trachyrincus longirostris (Günther, 1878)

The Slender unicorn rattail (Trachyrincus longirostris), is a rattail of the genus Trachyrincus, found around southeast Australia and New Zealand, at depths of between 850 and 1,300 metres. Its length is between 30 to 60 centimetres.

The Slender unicorn rattail has the usual greatly elongated pointed tail of the rattails, as well as large eyes and a flat shield-like snout that extends forward to a point well in front of the mouth. There are prominent bony ridges above and below the eyes, and a distinctive enlarged row of pointed scales running along each side of the bases of the dorsal and anal fins. The mouth is filled with bands of small teeth and there is a small chin barbel. The first pelvic fin ray is elongated.

This fish probably uses its long hard snout as a shovel to dig in the soft bottom sediment in search of the small crustaceans and other invertebrates on which it feeds.

The colour is grey with black fins and black margins around the operculum, eyes, and mouth.

References

• Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Trachyrincus longirostris". FishBase. April 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