Mataeocephalus tenuicauda (Garman, 1899)
Slendertail grenadier
Mataeocephalus tenuicauda
photo by FAO

Family:  Macrouridae (Grenadiers or rattails)
Max. size:  30 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  bathypelagic; marine; depth range 700 - 1600 m, non-migratory
Distribution:  Eastern Pacific: off the Pacific coast of Panama, Colombia and Ecuador; Cocos and Galapagos islands.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 2-2; Anal spines: 0-0. Eyes large; snout long, with a prominent, bifid terminal scute; underside of the head almost entirely naked, with relatively little ventral overlap of scales along the leading edge of the snout. Body scales with short, conical spinules, arranged in parallel rows. Periproct large, oval, several scale rows from anal fin. Pyloric caeca 16 to 21.
Biology:  Maximum TL of more than 30 cm (Ref. 9315).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 04 February 2009 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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