Black lizardfish

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Black lizardfish
Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling
Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Aulopiformes
Family: Ipnopidae
Genus: Bathysauropsis
Species: B. gracilis
Binomial name
Bathysauropsis gracilis
(Günther, 1878)

The black lizardfish or deep-water greeneye, Bathysauropsis gracilis, is a grinner of the genus Bathysauropsis, found around the world in the southern oceans, at depths of between 1,500 and 3,000 m. Its length is from 20 to 30 cm.

The black lizardfish is a deepwater elongate fish of round cross-section, with a flat blunt snout and large mouth. There are few teeth to be seen and these are mainly on the roof of the mouth. The first dorsal fin is high but the second is small and adipose.

The black lizardfish's colour is purplish black.

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