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Southern Ribbonfish
Trachipterus jacksoniensis (Ramsay, 1881)
A Southern Ribbonfish found washed up alive on Diamond Head Beach, south of Laurieton, New South Wales, August 2006. The fish is now registered in the Australian Museum Fish Collection (AMS I.43907-001). Thank you to A. Marshall, Hastings Area Ranger for his help in obtaining the specimen and images. Photo © C. Waters & T. White, NPWS. View larger image.
Head of the fish in the above image. Note the very large eyes and oblique mouth. Photo © C. Waters & T. White, NPWS. View larger image.
One of the characters used to identify species of Trachipterus is the arrangement of the tubercles along each side of the dorsal fin pterigiophores. Photo © C. Waters & T. White, NPWS. View larger image.
A larval Ribbonfish (a species of Trachipterus other than the Southern Ribbonfish) photographed at night off Kona, Hawaii, October 2007. Photo © M. D'Avella. View larger image.
The Southern Ribbonfish has a highly compressed body that tapers posteriorly. It has very large eyes and a large protrusible mouth. The dorsal fin extends nearly the full length of the fish.
This species lacks scales but has dermal tubercles. The tubercles on the ventral margin are enlarged. Those along each side of the dorsal fin pterigiophores are arranged in rows (see bottom image).
The Southern Ribbonfish is silvery in colour but parts of the head may be black.
It grows to at least 2 m in length.
Dietary items reported for fishes in the genus include bony fishes, cephalopods and planktonic crustaceans. They may be preyed upon by Lancetfishes.
The Southern Ribbonfish occurs in marine waters of South Africa and Australia.
In Australia it is known from southern Queensland and around the south-east of the country to eastern South Australia.
View a map of the collecting localities of Southern Ribbonfish in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
A single species of Trachipterus is currently recognised from Australian waters. The names T. jacksoniensis and T. arawatae have been used in different publications for Australian specimens. Taxonomic work is required to clarify this issue.
Related links
- Scalloped Ribbonfish fact sheet
- View image of head with mouth protruded.
- View images of the head and body of a Southern Ribbonfish captured near Perth, WA.
Further reading
- Glover, C.J.M. in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
- Heemstra, P.C. & S.X. Kannemeyer. 1984. The Families Trachipteridae and Radiicephalidae (Pisces, Lampriformes) and a new species of Zu from South Africa. Annals of the South African Museum. 94(2): 13-39.
