Galathea cuskeel

Q: Can you eat Galathea cuskeel?

A deep-sea cusk eel from hadal trench depths; among the deepest-living fish ever recorded. Rarely encountered in commercial fishing; not consumed and of purely scientific interest.

Q: How big does Galathea cuskeel get?

Galathea cuskeel can grow up to 16.5 cm long.

Q: Where is Galathea cuskeel found?

Hadal zone of the Puerto Rico Trench in the Atlantic and the Kermadec and Philippine trenches in the Pacific, at depths exceeding 8,000 m. One of the deepest-living fish species ever recorded, found only in abyssal trenches. Abyssal and hadal zones of the Indian Ocean at depths exceeding 7160m, including the Galathea Deep. Extreme cold, pressure, and darkness; one of the deepest-dwelling fish ever recorded.

Q: What family does Galathea cuskeel belong to?

Galathea cuskeel (Abyssobrotula galatheae) belongs to the family Ophidiidae in the order Ophidiiformes.

Abstract

Few vertebrates live deeper than Abyssobrotula galatheae, a small cusk eel recorded from hadal trench floors and among the deepest-living fishes ever documented. Depth records for the species span roughly 3,110 to 7,965 metres. The body is elongated and eel-like, pale whitish to yellowish-cream and largely unpigmented, with translucent fins and eyes reduced to the point of carrying no functional pigment — the standard signature of animals that never encounter light. It reaches 16.5 cm. Encountered only rarely and never in commercial fisheries, it is of purely scientific interest, and is placed in the family Ophidiidae, order Ophidiiformes.