Aethotaxis mitopteryx, a high-Antarctic fish with benthopelagic mode of life

Abstract

Within the last seven years close to 90% of all reported Aethotaxis mitopteryx specimens were caught in the Weddell Sea and the Lazarev Sea, with only 5% of these in pelagic trawls. Average biomass values of 0.69kg 30 min-1, which is 10 times the biomass values attained in the Weddell Sea, suggest the Lazarev Sea at depths between 400-800m, or narrow shelf areas of the eastern Antarctic in general, to be a major distribution area of this species. Adults are characterized by slow growth, high reproductive effort, a benthopelagic mode of life and regular occurrence in the warmer deep water. With the high abundance of A. mitopteryx larvae in the Weddell Sea, spawning migrations are likely. Data indicate a sluggish mode of life and a limited scope for activity, with low energy requirements. -from Authors