Slender snipefish
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 Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling
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| Macroramphosus gracilis (Lowe, 1839) |
The slender snipefish or snipefish, Macroramphosus gracilis, is a snipefish of the genus Macroramphosus, found worldwide at depths to 350 m. Its length is up to 15 cm.
The slender snipefish is a moderately elongate species with a tubular snout equal to about a fifth of the total body length. On the centrally placed first dorsal fin the second spine is thick and elongate, but not as long as in other similar species.
The colour is red above, paler below.
They feed on bottom-living invertebrates, but may also pick individual animals from the plankton.
[edit] References
- "Macroramphosus gracilis". 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
