Malacocephalus laevis (Lowe 1843)

Head uniformly scaled, including the mandibles and the ventral aspects of the snout and suborbital. Snout blunt, its tip with a conical tubercle. The trunk is short, the body tapers abruptly from behind the first dorsal fin. The caudal fin is absent.

Dorsal spines (total): 2; Dorsal soft rays (total): 229; Analspines: 0

Found on continental slopes (Ref. 1371, 75154). Feeds on pelagic crustaceans (Ref. 58748).

Found on continental slopes (Ref. 1371). Utilized mainly for fishmeal and oil (Ref. 1371). In the past, fishers in the North Atlantic were reported to have used the luminescent excretion from the ventral light organ to enhance baits used for cod fishing (Ref. 1371).

fisheries: minor commercial; price category: medium; price reliability: very questionable: based on ex-vessel price for species in this family

廣泛分布於三大洋。臺灣發現於東北部及南部海域。

一般以底拖網捕獲，無經濟價值，通常作為下雜魚。北大西洋的古代漁夫會利用大型個體腹部發光器的分泌物，來當作捕捉鱈魚的誘餌。

體型延長，側扁。頭部寬大肥厚，質感滑軟腫脹；軀幹粗壯，尾部細長。吻短呈錐狀。口大，下位；有一短頤鬚；齒為犬齒，上頜齒 二列，外列擴大，下頜齒則為一列。鰓被架7，其上被鱗。第一背鰭之硬棘光滑無鋸齒。體被小型櫛鱗，鱗片上佈滿多列之細長棘刺。腹部發光器發達，分為前後兩部份，前為彎月型之凹窩，後為圓型，與肛門之間有一深溝相連。

主要棲息於水深200-1,000 公尺、水溫7-12。C的混濁泥沙底質水域中。以小型魚類及蝦蟹為食。繁殖季為初春。

Malacocephalus laevis is a species of fish belonging to the family Macrouridae.

It has cosmopolitan distribution.