Threadfin seasnail

Threadfin seasnail
Conservation status
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Scorpaeniformes
Family:	Liparidae
Genus:	Rhodichthys Collett, 1879
Species:	R. regina
Binomial name
Rhodichthys regina Collett, 1879

Rhodichthys regina, the threadfin seasnail, is a species of snailfish native to the Arctic Ocean and the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, and may also be found in the North Pacific. It has been found at depths of from 1,080 to 2,365 metres (3,543 to 7,759 ft). This species grows to a length of 31 centimetres (12 in) SL. This species is the only known member of its genus.

Description

The threadfin snailfish is a deep-sea, cold water, probably benthic type of snailfish. Not much is known about its lifestyle, but it is probably a benthic fish that spends its time near the seafloor rather than the water column, but may be able to swim a lot in the open water if it needs it. The body is stout and robust, and it narrows drastically near the tail, giving the fish the profile of a droplet or a tadpole. The caudal fin is narrow, small, and usually gets mistaken with the fish's dorsal and anal fins (which in some snailfish and cusk-eels, morph together and replace the caudal fin) but this snailfish does have a caudal fin, but it is too small to propel the fish in the water, so it probably moves like the already mentioned cusk eels. It has a blunt snout and a wide, cavernous mouth, and has a pale pinkish coloration when alive and in the deep, but if brought to the surface, its skin and flesh will become translucent and slimy, showing the dark-colored organs which are placed in the wide part of the body (near the head). It has no comercial value.