Spangled Tubeshoulder

Interesting Info

• The Spangled Tubeshoulder is a rare deep-sea fish found in southern oceans, including waters off southern Australia, New Zealand, and nearby regions.
• It belongs to the tubeshoulder family (Platytroctidae), famous for their ability to release glowing bioluminescent fluid when threatened.
• Adults are small, usually 10–15 cm (4–6 in) long, making them one of the more delicate members of the group.
• Its name “spangled” comes from the silvery speckles across its dark body, which glimmer faintly under light.
• Like other tubeshoulders, it has a special gland near its pectoral fins that can squirt glowing fluid into the water to confuse predators—a “glow-ink” defence unique to this family.
• Its body is slim and deep, with large eyes adapted to detect faint flashes of light in the midwater darkness.
• The Spangled Tubeshoulder feeds on tiny crustaceans, small fish, and plankton drifting in the open ocean.
• It swims slowly through the water column, picking off prey with quick snaps of its mouth.
• Juveniles drift in plankton-rich layers closer to the surface before moving deeper as they grow.
• Predators include larger midwater fishes, squid, and whales that dive into the twilight zone to feed.
• Very little is known about its breeding, but like other deep-sea fishes, it likely spawns eggs into open water, leaving them to drift with the currents.
• The lifespan of this species is unknown, though small mesopelagic fishes typically live 3–5 years.
• The Spangled Tubeshoulder remains one of the least studied deep-sea fishes, with much of its behaviour still a mystery.