Species: Helicolenus dactylopterus, Blackbelly rosefish
ridge under eye - no spines
Helicolenus dactylopterus (Delaroche, 1809)
Blackbelly rosefish
Head very bony, pointed, with low spines; no fleshy tabs or cirri on head; snout short; eye large; ridge under eye with 0-1 spines; no pit on top of head behind eyes; 2nd (below top) preopercular spine the largest; roof of mouth with teeth on sides but not at center; dorsal XII,11.5-12.5; anal III, 5; pectorals square, with upper rays branched in adult, lower rays with tips extending beyond fin membrane; scales rough; lateral line complete, with tubes on scale.
Red above, pinkish white below; dark bars on side – 3 under spiny dorsal, 1 V shaped bar under soft dorsal, one on tail base; bars less obvious in adults; gill chamber and inside mouth purplish black; juveniles with a black blotch on rear dorsal spines.
Reaches 50 cm.
Lives on soft bottoms.
Depth range: 20-1100 m, usually below 200 m in our area.
E and W Atlantic, Mediterranean, and SE Africa; Canada to Argentina.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Reef and soft bottom
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Sand & gravel
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Mud
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Bathydemersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Planktivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Sea-stars/cucumbers/urchins
- Data
- Mobile benthic worms
- Pelagic jellyfish/ctenophores
- Sponges/seasquirts/bryozoa
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Zooplankton
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic larva
- Pelagic
- Global Endemism
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- Transatlantic (East+West Atlantic)
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- All species
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent + Island (s)
- Continent
- Extends North of GC
- Island (s)
- Extends South of GC
- GC non-endemic
- Also in Brazil
- Extends N + S of GC
- Continental primarily
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Temperate (>35N)
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 50
- Depth Range Min
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- 20
- Depth Range Max
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- 1100
