Violet roughy

📖 Overview

Violet roughy (Optivus agastos), first described by Gomon, 2004 is a small fish in the family Trachichthyidae (order Trachichthyiformes). Adults typically reach 9.50 cm in maximum length. It inhabits marine coastal and open-ocean environments. Recorded depth range: 1 to 146 metres. It occurs in Temperate waters. It feeds on a mix of small fish and invertebrates as a mid-level predator. On the IUCN Red List, it is classified as Least Concern.

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 4 - 5; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10 - 11; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 9 - 10; Vertebrae: 26. This species is characterized by the following: gill rakers 22-25 (modally 23); lateral profile of nape and head nearly straight, distinctly angled downward in front of dorsal fin; snout tip rounded, often projecting slightly in front of upper jaw; depth of head at vertical through upper end of gill opening 2.9-3.2 times in SL; snout length 1.6-2.7 times in eye diameter; inner row of teeth on premaxilla is noticeably longer than others; caudal peduncle relatively short and deep, its depth 0.9-1.3 times in length; dorsal and anal fins are relatively low, third segmented dorsal-fin ray 3.5-4.2 times in SL, first anal-fin ray 5.2-6.3 times in SL; body color greenish brown on back, silvery below; fins almost uniformly pink, though slightly dusky tips to caudal-fin lobes lasting in recently preserved large specimens .: fusiform / normal.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Violet roughy is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

🥚 Reproduction

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 1 - 146 m . Temperate Southwest Pacific : Australia and New Zealand (Ref.

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🐠 Related Species

🔍 Similar Species

👥 Community & Contribute