Notacanthus bonaparte Risso, 1840
Shortfin spiny eel
photo by Orlov, A.

Family:  Notacanthidae (Deep-sea spiny eels)
Max. size:  26 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  bathypelagic; marine; depth range 487 - 2000 m
Distribution:  Eastern Atlantic: Faeroes and Ireland to Cape Blanc, Mauritania including western Mediterranean (Italy). Reported from Iceland (Ref. 12462).
Diagnosis:   
Biology:  Hovers and swims along at slight head-down angle. Often caught in large numbers and possibly gregarious. Depth range from 700-2000 m and from 487-1034 m in the eastern Ionian Sea (Ref. 56504). Feeds on sessile and motile invertebrates such as bryozoans, ophiuroids, amphipods and sponges. Spawns in June-July in the Mediterranean. Sexually dimorphic, males generally smaller and with enlarged nasal rosettes (Ref. 4449).
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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