Jellynose Fish, Ateleopus

  • Updated
    26/03/21
  • Read time
    2 minutes
Ateleopus sp Click to enlarge image
A Jellynose Fish at a depth of 414m, Gifford Guyot, northern Lord Howe Rise, Tasman Sea, November 2007. Image: Rachel Przeslawski
© Commonwealth of Australia

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Genus
    Ateleopus
    Family
    Ateleopodidae
    Class
    Actinopterygii
    Subphylum
    Vertebrata
    Phylum
    Chordata
    Kingdom
    Animalia
  • Size Range
    The maximum size for fishes in the family is about 2 m in length.

Introduction

Jellynose fishes have a long flabby body, a bulbous snout, and an inferior mouth. They have a short-based dorsal fin and a long-based anal fin that is continuous with the caudal fin. Jellynose fishes are usually dark brown to black.

Identification

Jellynose fishes have a long flabby body, a bulbous snout, and an inferior mouth. They have a short-based dorsal fin and a long-based anal fin that is continuous with the caudal fin.

Jellynose fishes are usually dark brown to black.

The taxonomy of the jellynoses needs research. The family contains about twelve species in four genera Ateleopus, Ijimaia, Parateleopus and Guentherus.

Currently, only one species of jellynose is recorded from Australian waters, the Pacific Jellynose Fish, Ateleopus japonicus.

Jellynose Fish, Ateleopus sp
A Jellynose Fish from the Australian Museum Fish Collection. Image: C.V. Turner
© C.V. Turner

Distribution

Jellynose fishes occur in tropical and temperate marine waters of the outer continental shelf and slope, down to about 600 m.

The Pacific Jellynose Fish occurs circumglobally in continental slope depths. In Australia, its documented distribution is from off north-western Western Australia and from off southern Queensland to central New South Wales.

The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Source: Atlas of Living Australia.

Distribution data sourced from the Atlas of Living Australia

References

  1. Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & G.R. Allen. 2006. Fishes. in Beesley, P.L. & A. Wells. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Volume 35. ABRS & CSIRO Publishing: Australia. parts 1-3, Pp. 1-2178.
  2. Nelson, J.S., 1994. Fishes of the World, third edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Pp: 600.
  3. Olney, J.E. in Paxton, J.R. & W.N. Eschmeyer (Eds). 1994. Encyclopedia of Fishes. Sydney: New South Wales University Press; San Diego: Academic Press [1995]. Pp. 240.
  4. Paxton, J.R., D.F. Hoese, G.R. Allen & J.E. Hanley. 1989. Zoological Catalogue of Australia Vol.7 Pisces Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Survey. Pp. i-xii, 1-665.