Longray Spiderfish

Interesting Info

• The Longray Spiderfish is a deep-sea oddity closely related to the famous Tripod Spiderfish, using extra-long fin rays to stand upright on the seabed.
• It is known from deep waters of the Indo-West Pacific, including Australia where it occurs off New South Wales and Queensland.
• Adults usually grow around 30–40 cm (12–16 in), but their pelvic and caudal fin rays can extend over a metre (3 ft), making them look like they’re balancing on stilts.
• These fin rays are stiffened and act like legs, propping the fish above the seabed as it faces into currents to catch drifting prey.
• It feeds mainly on small crustaceans, plankton, and other tiny midwater animals that drift close to the bottom.
• Longray Spiderfish live at great depths, usually 600–2,000 m (1,970–6,560 ft), far beyond the reach of divers.
• Their eyes are adapted for the twilight zone, but they rely heavily on vibration-sensing to detect passing prey.
• Unlike many fish, they spend long periods motionless, conserving energy in the food-scarce deep sea.
• They are thought to spawn by releasing eggs high into the water column, with larvae drifting in plankton before settling to deep habitats as juveniles.
• The lifespan is uncertain, but many deep-sea species of similar size live 10–20 years.
• Predators likely include deep-diving sharks, grenadiers, and large squid that roam continental slopes.
• They are rarely seen alive, with most records coming from research trawls and occasional deep-sea camera footage.
• The long fin rays may help them rise above the seafloor to avoid clogging their gills with sediment while they feed.
• The scientific name longifilis means “long thread,” referring to the strikingly long fin rays.