Gelatinous Seasnail: Liparis fabricii Krøyer, 1847
A circumpolar snailfish often found pelagically in very deep water
Size
- 20 cm
Color & Characteristics
- Black peritoneum
- More than 36 anal fin rays
- Large eyes (orbit 5.3–10.3% of body length)
- Simple, unlobed teeth in the inner portion of the jaws
Habitat
- Arctic, circumpolar
- Benthic and pelagic, at depths of 20–1,880 m
- Near shore to beneath pack ice and deep in the water column to 520 m or more over bottom depths of more than 2.5 km and temperatures < 0°C
- Usually > 20 km offshore at depths > 50 m
Feeding
- Feeds on small benthic and pelagic crustaceans, mainly hyperiid amphipods.
- Eaten by other fishes (e.g., Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua) and seabirds
Life cycle
- Little known
- Large ovarian eggs (2.1–2.7 mm) are spawned in autumn; 485–735 large eggs in Kara Sea females
- Larvae pelagic
Page Author: CW Mecklenburg & TA Mecklenburg
Updated: Oct 19, 2011
