Bony-eared assfish
Scientific name: Acanthonus armatus Günther, 1878
Overview
The bony-eared assfish is a bathypelagic species of cusk-eel found in tropical and sub-tropical oceans at depths of from 1,171 to 4,415 metres. It has been found as far north as Queen Charlotte Sound off British Columbia's coast. This species grows to a length of 37.5 centimetres (14.8 in) standard length. The larvae are similar in overall form to the related gargoyle cusk, but have elongated 3rd, 4th, and 5th pectoral-fin rays.
From the Wikipedia article “Bony-eared assfish”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Least concern on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022.2.
Common names
Names in other languages (3)
- Chinese
- 大棘鼬魚, 大棘鼬鳚, 鼬魚
- Japanese
- ハナトゲアシロ
- Persian
- خرماهی گوشاستخوانی
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: FishBase.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, names in other languages. Q1963448, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Bony-eared assfish”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Robert Mintern, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026