The serrulate whiptail or serrulate rattail, Coryphaenoides serrulatus, is a rattail of the genus Coryphaenoides, found around southern Australia and New Zealand, at depths of between 750 and 2,000 m. Its length is between 30 and 45 cm.
Dorsal spines (total): 2; Anal spines: 0. Head of moderate-size, its underside scaled; sensory pores on head prominent; eyes relatively large; snout blunt, its tip and lateral angles with large, stout tubercular scutes. Scales adherent, densely covered with distinctly shield-shaped imbricate spinules. Pyloric caeca short, directed anteriorly, 10 to 12; retia mirabilia 6. Overall color is brownish gray; fins dusky; oral and branchial cavities blackish.: elongated; Cross section: circular.
🌀 Behaviour
Behavioural data for Serrulate whiptail is currently being
reviewed.
🦐 Diet
aquatic invertebrates
small fish
algae
detritus
🥚 Reproduction
🐣 Oviparous📦 Batch Spawner
Spawning Season
spring-summer
Spawn Location
Pelagic
Fertilization
External
🌍 Habitat & Distribution
Marine; bathydemersal; non-migratory; depth range 540 - 2070 m . Deep-water; 33°S - 50°S, 137°E - 179°W Southwest Pacific: New Zealand, Tasman Sea, south of Tasmania, southeast Australia (Victoria), and possibly also across the Indian Ocean (Ref.
New Zealand
🌿 Ecology
Zone Preferences
🌊 Marine🌑 Deep Water
Migration
Non-migratory
Trophic Level
3.5±0.4
📐 Morphometrics
Length–Weight Relationship:
W = 0.00219 × L3.2
(TL)
Max TL
48.2cm
Dorsal Spines
2
🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance
Salinity Range
30–40ppt
📊 Population Risk & Fisheries
Population Resilience
Low
Minimum doubling time
Fishing Vulnerability
61.00/100
High vulnerability
Trophic Level
3.5
Predator
Body Shape
Elongated
Climate Zone
Deep-water
Described By
Günther, 1878
🌐 Names & Taxonomy
Language
Common Names
🇬🇧English
Serrulate Rattail · Serrulate whiptail
🌍CES
hlavoun pilovitý
Scientific Synonyms
Scientific Name
Author
Year
Status
Coryphaenoides serrulatus oceanus
Iwamoto & Shcherbachev
1991
Synonym
Macrurus serrulatus
Günther
1878
Synonym
📚 Scientific References
13
publications cited
General
Froese, R. and Pauly, D. (Editors)
(2024).
FishBase.
World Wide Web electronic publication.
FishBase Consortium.
Link
↗
Conservation
IUCN
(2024).
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Version 2024-1.
International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Link
↗
Taxonomy
GBIF Secretariat
(2024).
GBIF Backbone Taxonomy.
Checklist dataset.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
DOI ↗
Nutrition
USDA Agricultural Research Service
(2024).
FoodData Central.
USDA National Nutrient Database.
United States Department of Agriculture.
Link
↗
Fishery
NOAA Fisheries
(2024).
FishWatch: U.S. Seafood Facts.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Link
↗
Monterey Bay Aquarium
(2024).
Seafood Watch Recommendations.
Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation.
Link
↗
Aquaculture
FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department
(2024).
The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Link
↗
Distribution
Kaschner, K., Kesner-Reyes, K., Garilao, C., Segschneider, J., Rius-Barile, J., Rees, T., Froese, R.
(2024).
AquaMaps: Predicted range maps for aquatic species.
AquaMaps.
Link
↗
Ecology
Nelson, J.S., Grande, T.C., Wilson, M.V.H.
(2016).
Fishes of the World.
5th edition.
John Wiley & Sons.
Behavior
Helfman, G.S., Collette, B.B., Facey, D.E., Bowen, B.W.
(2009).
The Diversity of Fishes: Biology, Evolution, and Ecology.
2nd edition.
Wiley-Blackwell.
Morphology
Froese, R.
(2006).
Cube law, condition factor and weight-length relationships: history, meta-analysis and recommendations.
Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 22(4), 241-253.
DOI ↗
Toxicology
Halstead, B.W., Auerbach, P.S., Campbell, D.
(1988).
A Colour Atlas of Dangerous Marine Animals.
Wolfe Medical Publications.
Wolfe Medical.
Reproduction
Balon, E.K.
(1975).
Reproductive Guilds of Fishes: A Proposal and Definition.
Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, 32(6), 821-864.