Chaunax nebulosus Ho & Last, 2013
Eyespot coffinfish
photo by Ho & Last, 2013

Family:  Chaunacidae (Sea toads o coffinfishes)
Max. size:  21.2 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  bathydemersal; marine; depth range 218 - 380 m
Distribution:  Eastern Indian Ocean: NW Australia, with first record in Indonesia (Ref. 117885).
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 3-3; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12-12; Anal soft rays: 7-7. This species which is a member of the C. fimbriatus-species group is distinguished from its congeners by its dense covering of minute grayish-green irregular spots, five large blackish dorsal markings and by the following characters: modally 14 pectoral-fin rays; bridging each neuromast are 3-4 pairs of spinules; second gill arch with 8-9 rakers; long and slender illicium; elongate illicial trough which is longer than wide; esca with numerous thin pale cirri with brown tips; pale gill chamber with large blackish patch on inner wall of opercle; pale peritoneal membrane; lateral-line neuromast counts: anterior body proper = 3-5 (mainly 4), upper preopercular = 2-3 (2), infraorbital = 5-7 (6), hyomandibular = 3-4 (3), pectoral = 10-12 (10 or 11), body proper = 29-35 (Ref. 94130).
Biology:  Deepest capture of a specimen collected from a trawl station covered 20-850 m depth interval (Ref. 94130).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 12 August 2019 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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