False boarfish


The false boarfish is a species of fish in the family Oreosomatidae.

Description

The false boarfish is dark grey in colour, with a maximum length of. It has 6–7 dorsal spines, 34–35 dorsal soft rays, 3–4 anal spines and 31–32 anal soft rays. It is diamond-shaped, with a protruding small mouth and large spiny rays present at the anterior edges of the fins.

Habitat

Neocyttus helgae is bathypelagic, living at depths of in the North Atlantic Ocean, being found off Madeira and Ireland and in the Cantabrian Sea.

Behaviour

The false boarfish feeds off zooplankton and raises its dorsal spine as a territorial display. It feeds near to Paragorgia coral.