Teleostei (teleosts) >
Aulopiformes (Grinners) >
Sudidae (Paperbones or waryfishes)
Etymology: Sudis: Latin, sudis = esox, fish of the Rhine, cited by Plinius 9.15; it also means "stake" (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Rafinesque.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 200 - 2000 m (Ref. 4474). Deep-water; 50°N - 40°S
Circumglobal, broadly distributed, from 50°N to 40°S. Also known from the Mediterranean Sea.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 100.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3397)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Mesopelagic to bathypelagic. Carnivorous. Probably spawns near the surface in temperate to tropical waters (Ref. 5759). Has been supposed to be one of the 'cable-biters'; reconstructions from big teeth found in submarine cables suggests that it attains at least 100 cm body-length (Ref. 4474).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Post, A., 1990. Sudidae. p. 385. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 1. (Ref. 4474)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
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