Psychrolutes microporos is a species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of deepwater marine fish in the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Psychrolutidae

Psychrolutidae

The fish family Psychrolutidae contains the fatheads or fathead sculpins, including the blobfishes. There are 9 genera and about 30 species. This poorly known family consists of bottom-dwelling marine sculpins shaped like tadpoles, with large heads and bodies that taper back into small, flat tails...

, commonly known as a blobfish or fathead. It is found in the abyssal zone

Abyssal zone

The abyssal zone is the abyssopelagic layer or pelagic zone that contains the very deep benthic communities near the bottom of oceans. "Abyss" derives from the Greek word ἄβυσσος, meaning bottomless. At depths of 4,000 to 6,000 metres , this zone remains in perpetual darkness and never receives...

 in waters around Australia and New Zealand.

Discovery

A specimen of Psychrolutes microporos was trawled by the RV James Cook in 1983 and described by Joseph Nelson in 1995. The holotype

Holotype

A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...

 is in the Museum of New Zealand. Another specimen was collected at a depth of 980m (3000ft) off the coast of New Zealand. Another specimen was collected in 2007 in the Tasman Sea at a depth of 1200m (3700ft).

Description

Psychrolutes microporos is a whitish colour and is flattened laterally. It has a wide mouth and a short, fleshy proboscis.

Distribution

Psychrolutes microporos is found in the abyssal depths between Australia and Tasmania. In the month-long NORFANZ Expedition of 2003 which was examining the biodiversity

Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...

 of the seamount

Seamount

A seamount is a mountain rising from the ocean seafloor that does not reach to the water's surface , and thus is not an island. These are typically formed from extinct volcanoes, that rise abruptly and are usually found rising from a seafloor of depth. They are defined by oceanographers as...

s and slopes of the Norfolk Ridge

Norfolk Ridge

The Norfolk Ridge is a long submarine ridge running between New Caledonia and New Zealand, about 1300 km off the east-coast of Australia. Little is known about the Norfolk Ridge; however, it generally lies about 2000 m below sea level and consists of Late Cretaceous continental crust. It is...

, two specimens averaging 1.7kg (4lb), were collected from a single location and none from elsewhere.

Biology

The texture of Psychrolutes microporos is gelatinous which enables it to withstand the great pressures at the depths where it lives. Little is known of its behaviour because of the difficulty of observing it in its natural habitat. It is thought to be an ambush predator, consuming anything edible which comes within its reach.