Family: TRACHICHTHYIDAE, Roughies, Roughy, Slimeheads

FAMILY TRACHICHTHYIDAE

SLIMEHEADS, ROUGHIES

Body oval, compressed; head large, with extensive skin-covered sensory canals separated by spiny ridges; eye moderate to large; snout rounded, often with forward pointing spines; mouth large and oblique; an extra bone above rear of top jaw; teeth small, simple, in bands; preopercle with a flat triangular spine; 1 dorsal fin with III-VIII striated spines and 12-18 soft rays; anal fin II-III, 8-12; tail fin forked, with 4-8 short, spiny rays at top and bottom of its base; scales thick and spiny or thin and smooth; large keeled scales along mid-belly between pelvic and anal fins.

Deep water fishes; a worldwide family; with 7 genera and over 30 species; 3 genera and 5 species in our area, only one entering shallow water.

PREPARED BY D ROSS ROBERTSON, AFTER MOORE (2002)