Limp eelpout

Melanostigma gelatinosum

Fish
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth224–1,099 m
Water temperature-1–27 °C
Best monthsJanuary and February
How commonRare

About this species

The limp eelpout is a marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. It is the type species of the genus Melanostigma, and this species is found in all oceans at depths of between 50 and 2,500 m. This species has a maximum published total length of 29 cm (11 in).

Text from the Wikipedia article “Limp eelpout”, 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: 50 records
February: 45 records
March: 10 records
April: 3 records
May: 12 records
June: 21 records
July: 7 records
August: 2 records
September: 5 records
October: 1 records
November: 2 records
December: 21 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 224–1,099 m · Deepest record: 1,920 m

0–10 m: 3 records
10–20 m: 5 records
20–30 m: 0 records
30–40 m: 0 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 3 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+ m: 275 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of -1–27 °C

-2–0 °C: 3 records
0–2 °C: 15 records
2–4 °C: 98 records
4–6 °C: 53 records
6–8 °C: 0 records
8–10 °C: 0 records
10–12 °C: 4 records
12–14 °C: 82 records
14–16 °C: 32 records
16–18 °C: 16 records
18–20 °C: 3 records
20–22 °C: 1 records
22–24 °C: 0 records
24–26 °C: 0 records
26–28 °C: 1 records

Names and classification

English: Limp eelpout, limp eelpout

Names in 2 more languages

French: Loquettine à queue noire
Japanese: ミナミカンテンゲンゲ

Other scientific names: Melanostigma flaccidum

Similar species

Melanostigma orientale
Porous-head eelpout
Bothrocara hollandi
Soft eelpout
Bothrocara molle
Jelly eelpout
Bothrocara tanakae
Bothrocara zestum
Silvery eelpout
Bothrocarina microcephala

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).
372 open-data records from 1932 to 2018.
Species data updated November 4, 2026.

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