Deep sea perch
Hoplostethus atlanticus
- Usual depth820–1,139 m
- Water temperature2–20 °C
- Best monthsAugust
- How commonCommon
Photo credit: (c) NOAA Photo Library, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
The orange roughy, also known as the red roughy, slimehead and deep sea perch, is a relatively large deep-sea fish belonging to the slimehead family (Trachichthyidae). It is bathypelagic, found in cold, deep waters of the Western Pacific Ocean, eastern Atlantic Ocean, Indo-Pacific, and in the eastern Pacific off Chile. The orange roughy is notable for its extraordinary lifespan, attaining over 200 years. The fish has a bright, brick red color, fading to a yellowish-orange after death.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Orange roughy”, 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: 30 records
- February: 31 records
- March: 20 records
- April: 18 records
- May: 21 records
- June: 18 records
- July: 29 records
- August: 165 records
- September: 27 records
- October: 18 records
- November: 11 records
- December: 29 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 820–1,139 m · Deepest record: 1,677.5 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 2–20 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Deep sea perch, Orange roughy, Red roughy, Rosy soldier fish, Slimehead, Atlantic slimehead, deep sea perch, Deep-sea Perch, Orange rough-fish, orange roughy, Orange Roughy, Orange Ruff, red roughy, rosy soldier fish, Sea Perch, slimehead
Names in 5 more languages
- German
- Atlantischer sägebauch, Degenfisch, Granatbarsch, Kaiserbarsch, Kaiserbarsh
- Spanish
- Bruto anaranjado, Pez reloj anaranjado, reloj, Reloj, Reloj anaranjado, Reloj del Atlántico
- French
- empereur, Hoplostéte orange, hoplostète orange, Hoplostète orange, Hoplostète rouge, Hoplostete rouge, hoplostète rouge, hoplostèthe orange, Hoplostèthe rouge, poisson-montre
- Japanese
- Hiuchidai, Orenzi-rafii, オレンジラフィー
- Simplified Chinese
- 大西洋胸棘鯛
Other scientific names: Hoplostethus gilchristi, Hoplostethus islandicum, Hoplostethus islandicus, Hoplosthethus atlanticus, Leiogaster atlanticus
Similar species
- Rough-fish
Hoplostethus mediterraneus
Giant Saw-bellyHoplostethus gigas
- Thickspine roughy
Hoplostethus crassispinus
- Western Pacific Roughy
Hoplostethus japonicus
- Mediterranean Saw-belly
Hoplostethus latus
- New Zealand Giant Sawbelly
Hoplostethus melanopeza
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).
- 12,240 open-data records from 1966 to 2022.
- Species data updated November 3, 2026.
Log what you see on your next dive
The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.