Dive 2: Fish in a Bottle
Video courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Exploring Deep-sea Habitats off Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Download larger version (mp4, 66.3 MB).

The fish in this video is the stripefin brotula, Neobythites marginatus. The species belongs to the brotula family Ophidiidae, commonly known as cusk eels, but they are neither true eels or cusks (relatives of codfish). Like many brotulas, the stripefin brotula has modified pelvic fins, which are the "barbels" mentioned in the video. Little is known about the biology of the stripefin brotula. They have been observed by submersibles diving into holes on the seafloor. Other Neobythites species seen during NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer expeditions in the Pacific were seen sheltering in crevices and under ledges.

The one seen in this video is unusual because it was using a glass bottle as shelter. We don't know why it chose that, but the beginning of the video shows that it may have been the only protective shelter for the brotula in the flat, sedimented area of the observation. In the low-light environment of the the site, the bottle may have provided protection as good as an opaque structure. The solid walls of the bottle may have felt like safe shelter to the fish.

Text contributed by Bruce Mundy, NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center.

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