Glacial Eelpout: Lycodes frigidus Collett, 1879
One of the dominant fishes and the most abundant eelpout in the Arctic basins
Size
- Up to 69 cm
Color & Characteristics
- Dark brownish gray, brown, or gray-violet
- Uniformly colored at all ages, no stripes, bars, or other patterns
- Head large, 22-28% of total fish length
- Scales very small, 50 or more rows at midbody between anal fin and dorsal fin; scales absent from fins
- Lateral line low on body
Distribution & Habitat
- Arctic, deep-sea species, endemic to the Arctic basins
- Benthic, on mud bottoms
- Water depths of 475-3,000 m, rarely at less than 1,000m
Feeding
- Moves along bottom, stirring up small benthic crustaceans
- Fishes, cephalopods, molluscs, and other abyssal fauna less commonly found in stomachs
- No information on predators
Life cycle
- Spawning is thought to occur at great depths where both adults and young are found
- A 50-cm female caught north of the Faeroe Islands in August 1902 contained about 500 eggs 7 mm in diameter
- Available data suggest fall or winter spawning
Page Author: CW Mecklenburg & TA Mecklenburg
Updated: March 5, 2011