Mahia whiptail
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 Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling
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| Caelorinchus matamua (McCann & McKnight, 1980) |
The Mahia whiptail, large-headed whiptail, or Mahia rattail, Caelorinchus matamua, is a rattail of the genus Caelorinchus, found circumpolar in the southern oceans, at depths of between 450 and 1,000 m. Its length is between 45 and 65 cm.
The Mahia whiptail has the usual greatly elongated tail of the rattails, as well as large eyes and a large heavy-set head with a blunt snout. The body and head are completely scaled and each scale has about ten spiny ridges running along it. There is a moderately sized chin barbel.
Body colour is dark brown, tinged with dark blue-black on the abdomen, with black fins and a black margin to the eye and gill opening.
[edit] References
- "Caelorinchus matamua". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. April 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
- Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8
