Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 7, 2026

Smallmouth spiny eel

The smallmouth spiny eel, also called the shortspine tapirfish, is a species of deep-sea spiny eel.

Last revised
Jul 7, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
390 w
Citations
12
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Smallmouth spiny eel
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Notacanthiformes
Family: Notacanthidae
Genus: Polyacanthonotus
Species:
P. rissoanus
Binomial name
Polyacanthonotus rissoanus
Synonyms1
  • Macdonaldia rostrata Collett, 1889
  • Notacanthus rissoanus De Filippi & Verany, 1857
  • Notacanthus rostratus Collett, 1889
  • Paradoxichthys garibaldianus Giglioli, 1882
  • Polyacanthonotus rostratus Collett, 1889

The smallmouth spiny eel (Polyacanthonotus rissoanus), also called the shortspine tapirfish,2 is a species of deep-sea spiny eel.345

Description

The smallmouth spiny eel is silver or brown in colour, with a maximum length of 36 cm (14 in). It has 26–36 dorsal soft rays. It looks similar to Polyacanthonotus africanus but its lateral line is lighter and less distinct. It has a small mouth and a short preoral snout. Mature males are distinguished by their black nostrils.6

Habitat

The smallmouth spiny eel lives in the Arctic waters off of Canada and in the North Atlantic Ocean off of Iceland, Ireland and Great Britain; it has also been observed in the waters off South Africa and in the Tasman Sea.78 It is a benthic and bathydemersal species, living at depths of 500–2,800 m (1,600–9,200 ft).91011

Behaviour

Polyacanthonotus rissoanus feeds on coelenterates, worms and crustaceans.12

References

References

  1. "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Polyacanthonotus rissoanus (De Filippi & Verany, 1857)". www.marinespecies.org.
  2. Leim, Alexander Henry; Scott, William Beverley (July 5, 1966). "Fishes of the Atlantic Coast of Canada". Fisheries Research Board of Canada – via Google Books.
  3. "Polyacanthonotus rissoanus (De Filippi & Verany 1857) - Encyclopedia of Life". eol.org.
  4. Cohen, Daniel M.; Ebeling, Alfred W.; Iwamoto, Tomio; McDowell, Samuel B.; Marshall, N. B.; Rosen, Donn E.; Sonoda, Pearl; III, Walter H. Weed; Woods, Loren P. (October 23, 2018). Orders Heteromi (Notacanthiformes), Berycomorphi (Beryciformes), Xenoberyces (Stephanoberyciformes), Anacanthini (Gadiformes): Part 6. Yale University Press. ISBN 9781933789163 – via Google Books.
  5. "Israel Journal of Zoology". Weizmann Science Press of Israel. July 5, 1997 – via Google Books.
  6. "Marine Species Identification Portal : Smallmouth spiny eel - Polyacanthonotus rissoanus". species-identification.org.
  7. "Polyacanthonotus rissoanus (De Filippi & Verany, 1857)". www.gbif.org.
  8. "Figure 183. Records of Polyacanthonotus rissoanus (Shortspine..." ResearchGate.
  9. Smith, Margaret M.; Heemstra, Phillip C. (December 6, 2012). Smiths' Sea Fishes. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9783642828584 – via Google Books.
  10. "Polyacanthonotus rissoanus". fishesofaustralia.net.au.
  11. "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Polyacanthonotus rissoanus (De Filippi & Verany, 1857)". www.marinespecies.org.
  12. "Polyacanthonotus rissoanus, Smallmouth spiny eel". www.fishbase.se.