Abyssal rainbow gar

The abyssal rainbow gar is a hypothetical species of fish observed by William Beebe while in his bathysphere on 11 August 1934, at a depth of 2,500 feet (760 metres) off the coast of Bermuda.^[1][2]

Else Bostelmann illustration, 1934

Description

At 11:07 o'clock on 11 August 1934, Beebe turned on the 1500-watt light of his bathysphere. In the illuminated water was a quartet of slender fish positioned upright, each four inches in length, with sharply pointed jaws. The heads and jaws of the fish were scarlet, the back of their gills was a strong blue, and their posteriors and tails were a clear yellow. After remaining stiff for a moment, the group of fish swam into the darkness.^[1]

Although he named them abyssal rainbow gars, Beebe stated that they may have been "anything but gars".^[1]

See also

• Bathyceratias
• Bathyembryx
• Bathysidus
• Bathysphaera