Polyipnus clarus

Polyipnus clarus, commonly known as the stareye hatchetfish or slope hatchetfish, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Sternoptychidae. It occurs in deep water in the western Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Maine southward to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It most commonly occurs between but can range from.

Description

Polyipnus clarus is a short, deep-bodied fish with a laterally compressed body and a maximum length of about. The mouth is nearly vertical, the snout is short and the eyes are large, laterally-facing and non-tubular. The dorsal surface is dark with a triangular bar and the flanks silvery. There are photophores behind and below the eye, on the flanks and belly.

Polyipnus clarus is a common mesopelagic, demersal, shoaling species and faces no particular threats. For these reasons, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".