Mahia Whiptail

Head large; the eyes also large; the snout blunt, its anterolateral margin incompletely supported by bone. Head ridges with modified thickened scales but not specially spiny; the suborbital ridge well defined. The underside of the head entirely scaled except for the lips and the gill membranes. Light organ a small globular gland adjacent to the anus, not visible externally. Gray to grayish pink, with a conspicuous dark blue band around the abdominal area; the fins and gill membranes blackish (Ref. 1371).

Dorsal spines (total): 2; Dorsal soft rays (total): 134 - 135; Analspines: 0; Analsoft rays: 110

Found on the continental slope (Ref. 75154). Feeds on fishes (myctophids), and crabs, among other items (Ref. 1371); also polychaetes and copepods (Ref. 58748).

Feeds on fishes (myctophids), and crabs, among other items (Ref. 1371).

fisheries: minor commercial; price category: medium; price reliability: very questionable: based on ex-vessel price for species in this family

The Mahia whiptail, large-headed whiptail, or Mahia rattail, Coelorinchus matamua, is a species of rattail found circumpolar in the southern oceans, at depths of between 450 and 1,000 m. Its length is between 45 and 65 cm.

Known from seamounts and knolls