Polka-dot ribbonfish

Desmodema polystictum

Fish
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth63–2,604 m
Water temperature7–29 °C
Best monthsApril, June, and September
How commonRare

Photo credit: (c) Thomas Gloerfelt-Tarp, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

Desmodema polystictum, also called the deal fish, polka-dot ribbonfish, or spotted ribbonfish, is a fish in the family Trachipteridae. It is found near New Zealand, the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, and South Africa. The species became more known when James Douglas Ogilby wrote and published work on the species in 1898.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Desmodema polystictum”, 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: 1 records
February: 1 records
March: 0 records
April: 4 records
May: 0 records
June: 4 records
July: 1 records
August: 1 records
September: 4 records
October: 1 records
November: 2 records
December: 1 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 63–2,604 m · Deepest record: 3,321.5 m

0–10 m: 1 records
10–20 m: 0 records
20–30 m: 0 records
30–40 m: 0 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 0 records
60–70 m: 1 records
70–80 m: 1 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 1 records
110+ m: 13 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 7–29 °C

6–8 °C: 1 records
8–10 °C: 0 records
10–12 °C: 1 records
12–14 °C: 0 records
14–16 °C: 4 records
16–18 °C: 2 records
18–20 °C: 3 records
20–22 °C: 3 records
22–24 °C: 4 records
24–26 °C: 4 records
26–28 °C: 4 records
28–30 °C: 5 records

Photos

Names and classification

English: Polka-dot ribbonfish, Dealfish, Dolka-dot ribbonfish, polka-dot ribbonfish, Polkadot Ribbonfish, Spotted Ribbonfish

Names in 3 more languages

Spanish: Cinta, Pez cinta moteado
Japanese: Furisode-uo, Furisodeuo, フリソデウオ
Simplified Chinese: 多斑帶粗鰭魚, 多斑扇尾魚, 粗鰭魚

Other scientific names: Trachipterus misakiensis, Trachipterus polystictus, Trachipterus woodi, Trachypterus misakiensis

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).
134 open-data records from 1903 to 2022.
Species data updated November 2, 2026.

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