Black seasnail
# Black seasnail

The black seasnail (Paraliparis bathybius) is a species of fish in the family Liparidae (snailfish).

## Description

The black seasnail has a long and tapering body (maximum 25 cm (9.8 in)), black and grey in colour, with large head, dorsal and anal fins that run the length of the body, and a much reduced caudal fin, although it has no adhesive disc, unlike other snailfish. The pectoral fins have two lobes, the lower having 3–4 rays.

## Habitat

The black seasnail is bathydemersal, living in the Arctic Ocean and North Atlantic Ocean at depths of 20–4,009 m (66–13,153 ft).

## Behaviour

It feeds on amphipods, gastropods and mysids. It spawns in summer, producing up to 400 eggs up to 4.5 mm (0.18 in) in diameter.

