''Acantholiparis caecus'' is one of the two snailfishes within the genus ''

Acantholiparis ''Acantholiparis'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belongong to the family Liparidae, the snailfishes. These fishes are found in the northern Pacific Ocean. Species ''Acantholiparis'' currently contains two recognized species: * '' Acanth ...

'', along with '' A. opercularis'', the spiny snailfish. Its generic name comes from the Greek for thorny (akantha) and fat (liparis); its specific name comes from the Latin word for blind.

Biology

''Acantholiparis caecus'' grows to a maximum length of 5.7 cm, which is slightly less than what is known of its closest relative, the spiny snailfish. Females are larger than males, whose maximum size is 3.9 cm.

Habitat

''Acantholiparis caecus'' is known from depths stretching from 1,300m to 2,122m, in the bathyal or

midnight zone The bathypelagic zone or bathyal zone (from Greek βαθύς (bathýs), deep) is the part of the open ocean that extends from a depth of below the ocean surface. It lies between the mesopelagic above and the abyssopelagic below. The bathypelagic ...

of the ocean. Unlike the spiny snailfish, it is

pelagic The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean and can be further divided into regions by depth. The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or water column between the sur ...

, living above the ocean floor rather than upon it as the

demersal The demersal zone is the part of the sea or ocean (or deep lake) consisting of the part of the water column near to (and significantly affected by) the seabed and the benthos. The demersal zone is just above the benthic zone and forms a layer o ...

spiny snailfish does.

Distribution

''Acantholiparis caecus'' is a more southern fish than ''A. opercularis'', inhabiting an area off the coast of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

and northern

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. Possibly the range extends as far north as British Columbia but this is unconfirmed.

References

*Stein, D.L. (1978) A review of the deepwater Liparidae (Pisces) from the coast of Oregon and adjacent waters. Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. 127:1-55. {{Taxonbar, from=Q3761418 caecus Fish of the Pacific Ocean Fish described in 1969