Black dragonfish

Idiacanthus atlanticus

Fish
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth59–1,360 m
Water temperature0–29 °C
Best monthsJanuary, May, and July
How commonOccasional

About this species

Idiacanthus atlanticus, the black dragonfish, is a barbeled dragonfish of the family Stomiidae, found circumglobally in southern subtropical and temperate oceans between latitudes 25°S and 60°S, at depths down to 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). The species is sexually dimorphic: females are black with six stripes; males are brown, and lack the females' canine teeth, pelvic fins and barbel. They can weigh between 13–15 grams. Females are believed to make a diel vertical migration from deeper than 500 metres (1,600 ft) by day to surface waters at night, whereas males do not migrate, remaining below 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) at all times.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Idiacanthus atlanticus”, 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: 28 records
February: 21 records
March: 20 records
April: 16 records
May: 26 records
June: 18 records
July: 37 records
August: 6 records
September: 17 records
October: 14 records
November: 10 records
December: 20 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 59–1,360 m · Deepest record: 4,350 m

0–10 m: 4 records
10–20 m: 4 records
20–30 m: 2 records
30–40 m: 2 records
40–50 m: 1 records
50–60 m: 4 records
60–70 m: 1 records
70–80 m: 0 records
80–90 m: 1 records
90–100 m: 1 records
100–110 m: 3 records
110+ m: 144 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 0–29 °C

0–2 °C: 2 records
2–4 °C: 11 records
4–6 °C: 11 records
6–8 °C: 9 records
8–10 °C: 1 records
10–12 °C: 11 records
12–14 °C: 15 records
14–16 °C: 56 records
16–18 °C: 48 records
18–20 °C: 33 records
20–22 °C: 49 records
22–24 °C: 7 records
24–26 °C: 2 records
26–28 °C: 1 records
28–30 °C: 1 records

Names and classification

English: Black dragonfish, Atlantic Dragonfish, black dragonfish, Common Black Dragonfish

Names in 1 more languages

French: Dragon abyssal

Other scientific names: Idiacanthus aurora, Idiacanthus niger, Idiacanthus retrodorsalis

Similar species

Pacific blackdragon
Idiacanthus antrostomus
Ribbon sawtail fish
Idiacanthus fasciola
Manylight fangfish
Chauliodus sloani
Pacific viperfish
Chauliodus macouni
Straightline dragonfish
Borostomias antarcticus
Scaleless dragonfish
Echiostoma barbatum

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).
479 open-data records from 1888 to 2022.
Species data updated November 3, 2026.

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