Teleostei (teleosts) >
Trachichthyiformes (Roughies) >
Trachichthyidae (Slimeheads)
Etymology: Optivus: Latin, optivus, -a-um = chosen; agastos: Name from a Greek word meaning 'near kinsman', referring to its similarity and presumed close relationship to Trachichthys elongatus Günther, 1859.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 1 - 146 m (Ref. 76814). Temperate
Southwest Pacific : Australia and New Zealand (Ref. 86942).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 9.5 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 76814)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 4 - 5; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10 - 11; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 9 - 10; Vertebrae: 26. This species is characterized by the following: gill rakers 22-25 (modally 23); lateral profile of nape and head nearly straight, distinctly angled downward in front of dorsal fin; snout tip rounded, often projecting slightly in front of upper jaw; depth of head at vertical through upper end of gill opening 2.9-3.2 times in SL; snout length 1.6-2.7 times in eye diameter; inner row of teeth on premaxilla is noticeably longer than others; caudal peduncle relatively short and deep, its depth 0.9-1.3 times in length; dorsal and anal fins are relatively low, third
segmented dorsal-fin ray 3.5-4.2 times in SL, first anal-fin ray 5.2-6.3 times in SL; body color greenish brown on back, silvery below; fins almost uniformly pink, though slightly dusky tips to caudal-fin lobes lasting in recently preserved large specimens (Ref. 76814).
Body shape (shape guide): fusiform / normal.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Gomon, M.F., 2004. Two new species of roughy (Trachichthyidae: Optivus) from coastal waters of southern Australia. Rec. Aust. Mus. 56:173-178. (Ref. 76814)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: bycatch
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