Actinopteri (ray-finned fishes) > Perciformes/Notothenioidei
(Icefishes) > Nototheniidae
(Cod icefishes) > Pleuragrammatinae
Etymology: Aethotaxis: Greek, aethia, = unusual + Greek, taxis = disposition (Ref. 45335); mitopteryx: The specific name is derived from the Greek word mitos (thread or string) and pteryx (wing), referring to the filamentous nature of the first dorsal spines and pelvic rays (Ref. 11892).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Marine; bathypelagic; depth range ? - 850 m (Ref. 5179). Deep-water
Southern Ocean: islands of the Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, Prydz Bay and the Ross Sea. A separate subspecies may be present in the Ross Sea population, but this needs more evidence (Ref. 5179). Reported from Olaf Prydz Bay, Mackenzie Sea, Indian sector of the Antarctic (Ref. 44178).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 44.3 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 124149); 33.6 cm TL (female); max. published weight: 563.60 g (Ref. 124149)
Feeds on zooplankton. The storage of lipids in cells of adipose tissue as well as the reduced calcification of the skeleton provide buoyancy to this species.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Dewitt, H.H., P.C. Heemstra and O. Gon, 1990. Nototheniidae. p. 279-331. In O. Gon and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Fishes of the Southern Ocean. J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology, Grahamstown, South Africa. (Ref. 5179)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 125652)
Threat to humans
Fisheries: of no interest
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingNutrientsMass conversion
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969
): -0.2 - 1.2, mean 0.9 °C (based on 21 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805
= 1.0000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00513 (0.00321 - 0.00820), b=3.11 (2.97 - 3.25), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for species & Subfamily-BS (Ref. 93245
Trophic level (Ref. 69278
): 3.4 ±0.45 se; based on food items.
Generation time: 27.5 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 1 growth studies.
Resilience (Ref. 120179
): Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153
): High to very high vulnerability (68 of 100) .
Climate Vulnerability (Ref. 125649
): (0 of 100) .