Bighead grenadier

Coryphaenoides rudis

Fish
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth1,046–1,986 m
Water temperature13–29 °C
Best monthsJune, August, and October
How commonRare

About this species

The rudis rattail, Coryphaenoides rudis, is a fish of the family Macrouridae, found around the world in tropical and subtropical oceans, at depths between 600 and 2,300 m. Its length is between 30 and 40 cm, although FishBase gives lengths of up to 1.1 m.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Rudis rattail”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 3 records
February: 0 records
March: 1 records
April: 3 records
May: 2 records
June: 6 records
July: 3 records
August: 6 records
September: 0 records
October: 4 records
November: 4 records
December: 0 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 1,046–1,986 m · Deepest record: 2,375 m

40–50 m: 1 records
50–60 m: 0 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 0 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 0 records
110–120 m: 0 records
120–130 m: 0 records
130–140 m: 0 records
140–150 m: 0 records
150+ m: 34 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 13–29 °C

12–14 °C: 3 records
14–16 °C: 4 records
16–18 °C: 1 records
18–20 °C: 4 records
20–22 °C: 7 records
22–24 °C: 3 records
24–26 °C: 10 records
26–28 °C: 6 records
28–30 °C: 4 records

Names and classification

English: Bighead grenadier, Madeiran grenadier

Names in 2 more languages

Japanese: Daikokuhige, ダイコクヒゲ
Simplified Chinese: 野突吻鱈, 鱈魚

Other scientific names: Coryphaenoides (Coryphaenoides) rudis, Coryphaenoides macrocephalus, Coryphaenoides paradoxus, Macrourus paradoxus, Macrurus rudis, Nematonurus macrocephalus

Similar species

Serrulate Rattail
Coryphaenoides serrulatus
Four-rayed Rattail
Coryphaenoides subserrulatus
Pacific grenadier
Coryphaenoides acrolepis
Abyssal grenadier
Coryphaenoides armatus
Popeye
Coryphaenoides cinereus
Humpback Whiptail
Coryphaenoides dossenus

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).
95 open-data records from 1909 to 2024.
Species data updated November 1, 2026.

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