Big Roughy

Head with a concave forehead profile and with large mucous cavities covered by tough skin; mouth large and oblique; opercle and preopercle each with a large strong spine; body deep, about 2.1 times in SL; ventral keel with 10 - 14 very robust scutes; caudal fin forked but rounded. Color of head and body is dusky pink, sides with silvery tinge, fins red; tongue and gill cavity blackish; palate white to red (Ref. 7331). Pale beet red to light rosy. Back light red to brownish red, lower sides light silvery gray (Ref. 37108).

Dorsal spines (total): 7 - 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13 - 14; Analspines: 3; Analsoft rays: 11 - 12

Benthopelagic (Ref. 53036). Found in the shelf (Ref. 122899) and lives close to or on the bottom of the upper continental slope. Prefers hard substrates. Young specimens feed on small shrimps and fish (Ref. 4784). A deep sea species, nontheless, the young are often found near the coast (Ref. 9137). Found among a forest of soft corals and anemones at a depth of 300 m (Ref. 122901). Feeds on fish and invertebrates (Ref. 4784).

Lives close to or on the bottom of the upper continental slope. Prefers hard substrates. Young specimens feed on small shrimps and fish (Ref. 4784). A deep sea species, nonetheless, the young are often found near the coast (Ref. 9137). Utilized as fishmeal and source of oil in eastern central Atlantic (Ref. 3695).

fisheries: commercial

分布於世界各熱帶及亞熱帶海域。臺灣分布於東北部、南部及東沙海域。

可利用底拖網捕獲，在中東大西洋常被利用於魚粉或魚油，臺灣產量少且魚體小，一般皆以下雜魚處理。

體高而側扁，呈卵圓形。頭大而高，具大型的黏液腔，外被以薄膜。吻鈍短。眼大；眼眶下緣及後緣具若干條長短不一的骨脊。口前位，斜裂，上頜骨末端達眼後緣下方，下頜骨略突出，在縫合處具一小突起；上下頜細小，絨毛狀；鋤骨及腭骨具齒。鰓耙細長，鰓耙數19-22。鰓蓋骨後緣有一短棘，前鰓蓋骨後下緣具另一強棘。體被小櫛鱗，頭部無鱗；側線約略平直，鱗片較體側其他部份鱗片稍大，其上有一棘凸；腹鰭與臀鰭間之腹中線上具9-16個稜鱗。肛門緊接於臀鰭起點之前。背鰭單一，具缺刻，硬棘數VIII ，其中第IV棘最長，軟條數 13-14，皆較硬棘長；臀鰭第一硬棘很小，具III +11鰭條；尾鰭深叉，上下葉緣尖形。體灰褐色，口腔及鰓腔黑色。各鰭淡色。以前所記載之橋燧鯛(/Gephyroberyx japonicus/)為本種之同種異名。

主要棲息於大陸棚陡坡區200公尺深以上水域的深海底層魚類，通常出現在硬質底層處，一般棲息深度在200-500間，幼魚則常出現於沿岸。以小蝦及魚類為食。

Darwin's slimehead (Gephyroberyx darwinii), also known as the big roughy, is a species of fish in the slimehead family found widely in the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific oceans. This deep-sea species reaches a length of 60 cm (2.0 ft) and is mainly found at depths of 200 to 500 m (660–1,640 ft), but has been recorded between 9 and 1,210 m (30–3,970 ft). Based on broadly overlapping morphological features it sometimes (e.g., by IUCN) includes G. japonicus as a synonym.

Young feed on small shrimps and fish

Western Atlantic: southern Scotian Shelf, Canada to Greater Antilles, western Caribbean, Panama and northern Gulf of Mexico

Lives close to or on the bottom of the upper continental slope. Prefers hard substrates.

nektonic

Known from seamounts and knolls