Pale toadfish
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| Ambophthalmos angustus (Nelson, 1977) |
The pale toadfish, Ambophthalmos angustus, is a fathead of the family Psychrolutidae, found on the continental shelf around New Zealand, at depths between 250 and 1,000 m. Its length is up to 30 cm.
The pale toadfish is a blob-shaped fish of the general appearance of a bowl of jelly that has been upturned on a plate. It has a huge rounded head, wider than it is high, offset by a short, rapidly tapering body that ends in a small rounded caudal fin. Large fan-like pectoral fins fringe the head but the pelvic fins are small, reduced to a few short rays. Both the eyes and mouth are relatively small compared to other deepwater fish.
Pale toadfish have a smooth loose skin that is pale olive green on the head, back and flanks with a dense scattering of dark brown spots, and whitish on the belly.
[edit] References
- "Ambophthalmos angustus". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. May 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
