Thorny tinselfish (Grammicolepis brachiusculus)

Description: This goofy looking fish has a tube-like mouth that remains open all the time. To feed, it uses its vacuum-like mouth to suction tiny crustaceans off of deep water corals where it lives. It seems to be more common on deep reefs of the Gulf of Mexico than deep reefs elsewhere.

Geographic Distribution

Figure 1: Relative probability of occurrence of Thorny tinselfish (Grammicolepis brachiusculus) based on computer generated distribution maps. Data source: Aquamaps

Figure 2: Approximate depth range of Thorny tinselfish (black box). Slope of seafloor is a generalized representation of the Gulf of Mexico shelf and outer continental shelf.