Southern driftfish

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Southern driftfish
Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Perciformes Family: Centrolophidae Genus: Icichthys Species: I. australis
Binomial name
Icichthys australis Haedrich, 1966

The southern driftfish or ragfish, Icichthys australis, is a medusafish of the genus Icichthys found circumpolar in all southern oceans between latitudes 50° S and 60° S, from the surface down to 2,000 m. Its length is from 35 to 80 cm.

The southern driftfish is similar to the rudderfish, and has soft easily-damaged fins, large eyes, and a small flexible mouth. Its flesh is soft and its bones are weakly ossified, giving rise to its second common name as it has the limp feel of a rag doll.

Its colour is a uniform dark brown with black eyes.

[edit] References

• "Icichthys australis". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. February 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