Coelorinchus caelorhincus (Risso, 1810)
Hollowsnout grenadier
Coelorinchus caelorhincus
photo by Cambraia Duarte, P.M.N. (c)ImagDOP

Family:  Macrouridae (Grenadiers or rattails)
Max. size:  48 cm TL (male/unsexed); max. reported age: 10 years
Environment:  benthopelagic; marine; depth range 90 - 1485 m, non-migratory
Distribution:  Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. A loose sort of southern limit for Caelorinchus caelorhincus caelorhincus is probably around Cape Verde; most specimens south and to the east into the Gulf of Guinea are likely to be Caelorinchus caelorhincus geronimoi (Iwamoto 1997, pers. Comm.). Northwest Atlantic: Canada (Ref. 5951).
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Anal spines: 0-0. Eyes large; snout short, moderately pointed, its anterolateral margin incompletely supported by bone. Head ridges strong but with rather fine spinules; terminal snout scute trifid, wider than long, small and blunt to large and pointed, with a terminal and two lateral arms of about equal size. Underside of the snout naked medially. Light organ large, a black naked fossa between and slightly anterior to the pelvic fin bases. Overall color is pale grayish-brown to swarthy, with a series of broad saddle marks in some; oral cavity pale to dark (Ref. 1371). Spiny fin ray of first dorsal fin with a smooth and rounded leading edge (Ref. 35388).
Biology:  Found commonly in about 200-500 m. Feeds on a variety of benthic organisms, such as polychaetes, gastropods, cephalopods, numerous crustacean groups (copepods, gammarians, isopods, cumaceans, Natantia) and fish. Minimum depth range taken from Ref. 1371.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 14 May 2013 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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