False boarfish

The false boarfish (Neocyttus helgae) is a species of fish in the family Oreosomatidae (oreos).^[4][5]

False boarfish
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Zeiformes
Family:	Oreosomatidae
Genus:	Neocyttus
Species:	N. helgae
Binomial name
Neocyttus helgae (Holt & Byrne, 1908)
Synonyms[2][3]
Cyttosoma helgae Holt & Byrne, 1908 Crassispinus granulosus Maul, 1948

Description

The false boarfish is dark grey in colour, with a maximum length of 30.5 cm (12.0 in). It has 6–7 dorsal spines, 34–35 dorsal soft rays, 3–4 anal spines and 31–32 anal soft rays. It is diamond-shaped, with a protruding small mouth and large spiny rays present at the anterior edges of the fins.^[6][7]

Habitat

The false boarfish on a Faroese stamp; it is called by its Faroese name rútar kongur ("king of diamonds").^[8]

Neocyttus helgae is bathypelagic, living at depths of 915–1,829 m (3,002–6,001 ft) in the North Atlantic Ocean,^[9] being found off Madeira and Ireland and in the Cantabrian Sea.^[10][11][12]

Behaviour

The false boarfish feeds off zooplankton and raises its dorsal spine as a territorial display.^[9] It feeds near to Paragorgia coral.^[13]