North Pacific crestfish

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iNorth Pacific crestfish
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Lampriformes Family: Lophotidae Genus: Lophotus Species: L. capellei
Binomial name
Lophotus capellei Temminck & Schlegel, 1845

The North Pacific crestfish or unicornfish, Lophotus capellei, is a crestfish of the genus Lophotus, found in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, in deep water. Its length is up to 2 m.

The North Pacific crestfish is an elongate ribbon-like fish. The head is blunt and the forehead slopes obliquely forward, further than the snout. On top of the snout the front part of the dorsal fin is abruptly elevated to form a high backward-curving crest. From the crest the long dorsal fin continues back the full length of the body to the small round caudal fin. The anal fin is small and short and is set immediately in front of the tail. The large eyes are low on the blunt snout just above the small mouth.

The North Pacific crestfish is silvery with brighter silver spots and red fins.

[edit] References

• "Lophotus capellei". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. January 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
• 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