Oblique banded rattail

Coelorinchus aspercephalus

Fish
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth273–579 m
Water temperature8–19 °C
Best monthsJuly
How commonOccasional

About this species

The rough-head whiptail, also known as the oblique banded rattail, is a species of rattail found around New Zealand including islands to New Zealand's south, at depths of between 30 and 300 m. Its length is between 15 and 35 cm.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Rough-head whiptail”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 2 records
February: 0 records
March: 4 records
April: 1 records
May: 1 records
June: 2 records
July: 7 records
August: 0 records
September: 0 records
October: 0 records
November: 0 records
December: 0 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 273–579 m · Deepest record: 1,080 m

10–20 m: 2 records
20–30 m: 0 records
30–40 m: 0 records
40–50 m: 3 records
50–60 m: 2 records
60–70 m: 3 records
70–80 m: 2 records
80–90 m: 2 records
90–100 m: 10 records
100–110 m: 12 records
110–120 m: 17 records
120+ m: 3,711 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 8–19 °C

6–8 °C: 83 records
8–10 °C: 319 records
10–12 °C: 152 records
12–14 °C: 426 records
14–16 °C: 14 records
16–18 °C: 4 records
18–20 °C: 1 records

Names and classification

English: Oblique banded rattail, Rough-head whiptail

Other scientific names: Caelorinchus aspercephalus, Coelorhynchus aspercephalus

Similar species

Bollons' rattail
Coelorinchus bollonsi
Banded Whip-tail
Coelorinchus fasciatus
Innotable Whiptail
Coelorinchus innotabilis
Gargoyle Fish
Coelorinchus mirus
Hawknose grenadier
Coelorinchus oliverianus
Spottyface Whiptail
Coelorinchus acanthiger

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
3,802 open-data records from 1907 to 2018.
Species data updated November 1, 2026.

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