Pelagic basslet

Howella brodiei

Fish
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth33–1,350 m
Water temperature10–29 °C
Best monthsJune and November
How commonOccasional

About this species

The pelagic basslet is an oceanic basslet native to the Indo-Pacific, where it occurs at depths from 100 to 1,829 m. This species is an openwater fish, staying deeper during the day and moving to shallower waters. This species can reach 7.6 cm (3.0 in) in TL.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Pelagic basslet”, 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: 5 records
February: 7 records
March: 14 records
April: 14 records
May: 20 records
June: 37 records
July: 22 records
August: 8 records
September: 14 records
October: 20 records
November: 46 records
December: 4 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 33–1,350 m · Deepest record: 4,115 m

0–10 m: 20 records
10–20 m: 1 records
20–30 m: 0 records
30–40 m: 1 records
40–50 m: 3 records
50–60 m: 7 records
60–70 m: 1 records
70–80 m: 8 records
80–90 m: 3 records
90–100 m: 3 records
100–110 m: 1 records
110+ m: 164 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 10–29 °C

8–10 °C: 3 records
10–12 °C: 21 records
12–14 °C: 35 records
14–16 °C: 25 records
16–18 °C: 45 records
18–20 °C: 12 records
20–22 °C: 37 records
22–24 °C: 28 records
24–26 °C: 19 records
26–28 °C: 1 records
28–30 °C: 9 records

Names and classification

English: Pelagic basslet, Southern Pelagic Bass, Southern Pelagic Cardinalfish

Names in 1 more languages

Japanese: ナガクシスミクイウオ

Similar species

Sherborn's pelagic basslet
Howella sherborni
Armed basslet
Howella zina
Flatbrow basslet
Bathysphyraenops simplex

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).
369 open-data records from 1908 to 2016.
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.

Join the waitlist