HulloThere
@jethroreading32.bsky.social
PhD student at Southampton, studying mesopelagic fish ecology. Occasional writer and amateur baker. Tweets about fish in superlatives. Opinions my own.
For our final day of #25DaysOfFishmas, we're going full weird. Today's bizarre, lonely little fish is the needlebeard seadevil, Neoceratias spinifer. This prickly little lady is the only member of the family Neoceratiidae, nestling within the larger deep-sea anglefish order Ceratoidei.
December 25, 2025 at 9:53 AM
For our final day of #25DaysOfFishmas, we're going full weird. Today's bizarre, lonely little fish is the needlebeard seadevil, Neoceratias spinifer. This prickly little lady is the only member of the family Neoceratiidae, nestling within the larger deep-sea anglefish order Ceratoidei.
Our penultimate Lonely Fish for #25DaysOfFishmas is another quite cute one. This is Triodon macropterus, the threetooth puffer. The only member of the family Triodontidae, this species is found around the Indo-Pacific at depths between ~30 and 300m.
December 24, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Our penultimate Lonely Fish for #25DaysOfFishmas is another quite cute one. This is Triodon macropterus, the threetooth puffer. The only member of the family Triodontidae, this species is found around the Indo-Pacific at depths between ~30 and 300m.
Reposted by HulloThere
C. aper is a special one on the list as I actually had the privilege to handle a few on my most recent research cruise. This gave me the opportunity to have a play with that snout and the remarkable protrusible mouth it conceals, which is used to suck up small invertebrate prey.
December 23, 2025 at 10:36 AM
C. aper is a special one on the list as I actually had the privilege to handle a few on my most recent research cruise. This gave me the opportunity to have a play with that snout and the remarkable protrusible mouth it conceals, which is used to suck up small invertebrate prey.
As we really enter the home straight for #25DaysOfFishmas, Day 23 brings us probably the cutest little monospecific family on our list. This is Capros aper, the boarfish, the only known member of the Caproidae.
December 23, 2025 at 10:21 AM
As we really enter the home straight for #25DaysOfFishmas, Day 23 brings us probably the cutest little monospecific family on our list. This is Capros aper, the boarfish, the only known member of the Caproidae.
Reposted by HulloThere
They all have their own "lore" with them too, which was confirmed by the developers that whenever a new species is represented, the lore gets a real-life fish fact.
And that 1700+ is only the ones in the guide! There's a few hundred others that aren't tracked in various parts of the game!
And that 1700+ is only the ones in the guide! There's a few hundred others that aren't tracked in various parts of the game!
December 23, 2025 at 12:38 AM
They all have their own "lore" with them too, which was confirmed by the developers that whenever a new species is represented, the lore gets a real-life fish fact.
And that 1700+ is only the ones in the guide! There's a few hundred others that aren't tracked in various parts of the game!
And that 1700+ is only the ones in the guide! There's a few hundred others that aren't tracked in various parts of the game!
Reposted by HulloThere
This is a fish that just straight up looks like a 16th-century sea monster on a world map, incredible.
December 22, 2025 at 9:12 PM
This is a fish that just straight up looks like a 16th-century sea monster on a world map, incredible.
For Day 22 of #25DaysOfFishmas we have one of my favourites from the whole list, another big, pelagic weirdo that I've been obsessed with for many years now. This is Luvaris imperialis, the Louvar, a rarely encountered oceanic beast found across the Indo-Pacific and in parts of the Atlantic.
December 22, 2025 at 10:51 AM
For Day 22 of #25DaysOfFishmas we have one of my favourites from the whole list, another big, pelagic weirdo that I've been obsessed with for many years now. This is Luvaris imperialis, the Louvar, a rarely encountered oceanic beast found across the Indo-Pacific and in parts of the Atlantic.
For Day 21 of #25DaysOfFishmas we've got Cheimmarichthys fosteri, the panoko or torrentfish. This charming little labriform is the only member of the fammily Cheimmarichthyidae - especially surprising given there are >750 other species in the Labriformes, including the very diverse wrasse family.
December 21, 2025 at 10:11 AM
For Day 21 of #25DaysOfFishmas we've got Cheimmarichthys fosteri, the panoko or torrentfish. This charming little labriform is the only member of the fammily Cheimmarichthyidae - especially surprising given there are >750 other species in the Labriformes, including the very diverse wrasse family.
For Day 20 we have the magnificently ornamented & bizarrely named Old Wife, Enoplosus armatus. This striking character is native to temperate waters around Australia and, while it resembles tropical butterflyfish, it is actually more closely related to freshwater sunfish and basses.
December 20, 2025 at 10:39 AM
For Day 20 we have the magnificently ornamented & bizarrely named Old Wife, Enoplosus armatus. This striking character is native to temperate waters around Australia and, while it resembles tropical butterflyfish, it is actually more closely related to freshwater sunfish and basses.
Ok, back to the weirdos for Day 19 of #25DaysOfFishmas. This is Zaprora silenus, the prowfish, a species native to cold, rocky areas of the North Pacific down to about 675m. While two extinct species from the family Zaproridae are known, this is the only extant one.
December 19, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Ok, back to the weirdos for Day 19 of #25DaysOfFishmas. This is Zaprora silenus, the prowfish, a species native to cold, rocky areas of the North Pacific down to about 675m. While two extinct species from the family Zaproridae are known, this is the only extant one.
Reposted by HulloThere
SEASON'S GREASONS
December 18, 2025 at 11:22 PM
SEASON'S GREASONS
Right, enough messing about with obscure little deep sea weirdos. For Day 18 of #25DaysOfFishmas we've got a fish that I reckon 95% of people reading this will have heard of. This is the sole living member of the Xiphiidae, Xiphias gladius - the swordfish.
December 18, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Right, enough messing about with obscure little deep sea weirdos. For Day 18 of #25DaysOfFishmas we've got a fish that I reckon 95% of people reading this will have heard of. This is the sole living member of the Xiphiidae, Xiphias gladius - the swordfish.
We've got a really cool guy for Day 17 of #25DaysOfFishmas. This beautiful fish is Nematistius pectoralis, the roosterfish. A powerful generalist predator from the Pacific coast of the tropical Americas, this is the only member of the suborder Nematistioidei, which sits near the jacks and flatfish.
December 17, 2025 at 11:11 AM
We've got a really cool guy for Day 17 of #25DaysOfFishmas. This beautiful fish is Nematistius pectoralis, the roosterfish. A powerful generalist predator from the Pacific coast of the tropical Americas, this is the only member of the suborder Nematistioidei, which sits near the jacks and flatfish.
For Day 16 of #25DaysOfFishmas we have the only monospecific family of flatfishes. This is Oncopterus darwinii, the Remo flounder, a species found in coastal waters in a small area of the Brazilian and Argentine coasts.
December 16, 2025 at 11:09 AM
For Day 16 of #25DaysOfFishmas we have the only monospecific family of flatfishes. This is Oncopterus darwinii, the Remo flounder, a species found in coastal waters in a small area of the Brazilian and Argentine coasts.
Back on land after a really remarkably successful little cruise, insanely grateful to have had so much experience in the field this year!
December 15, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Back on land after a really remarkably successful little cruise, insanely grateful to have had so much experience in the field this year!
For Day 15 of #25DaysOfFishmas, we have the kind of random, outwardly unremarkable but surprisingly weird deep-sea oddball that I obsess about, and the species that made me change my mind for the lonely fish theme this year. This is Scombrolabrax heterolepis, the longfin escolar.
December 15, 2025 at 6:21 PM
For Day 15 of #25DaysOfFishmas, we have the kind of random, outwardly unremarkable but surprisingly weird deep-sea oddball that I obsess about, and the species that made me change my mind for the lonely fish theme this year. This is Scombrolabrax heterolepis, the longfin escolar.
Crazy photo - supposedly the (likely now extinct) greasefish Rhizomichthys also had this phenomenon!
Eulachon have such a high oil content (15-20% of their entire body weight!) that they burn can like a candle when dried - hence the name “candlefish." Their valuable rendered oil was also historically traded among tribes along the Pacific coast on routes known as grease trails #25DaysofFishmas
December 15, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Crazy photo - supposedly the (likely now extinct) greasefish Rhizomichthys also had this phenomenon!
Fun fact - this was going to be in my original #25DaysOfFishmas list this year
December 15, 2025 at 7:53 AM
Fun fact - this was going to be in my original #25DaysOfFishmas list this year
Found a gnarly one the other day on the gills of a haddock - apparently Lernaeocara, big problem for people trying to farm cod #Crustmas
December 14, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Found a gnarly one the other day on the gills of a haddock - apparently Lernaeocara, big problem for people trying to farm cod #Crustmas
For Day 14 we've got an animal I really love. This big weird deep-sea freak is Icosteus aenigmaticus, the ragfish, a predator of jellyfish and squid typically found between 732-1430m across the Northern Pacific Ocean. It is the only member of the Icosteidae, which is loosely related to mackerels.
December 14, 2025 at 11:00 AM
For Day 14 we've got an animal I really love. This big weird deep-sea freak is Icosteus aenigmaticus, the ragfish, a predator of jellyfish and squid typically found between 732-1430m across the Northern Pacific Ocean. It is the only member of the Icosteidae, which is loosely related to mackerels.
Speaking of whalefish
A big, beautiful, bebeh whalefish, drifting with the plankton over the nighttime abyss.
Body without the crazy “tapetail” is ~6cm
#whalefish #tapetail #deepseafish #deepwater #deepsea #deepseacreatures #larvalfish #blackwater #blackwaterdiving #blackwaterphotography #gug #chrisgug #gugunderwater
Body without the crazy “tapetail” is ~6cm
#whalefish #tapetail #deepseafish #deepwater #deepsea #deepseacreatures #larvalfish #blackwater #blackwaterdiving #blackwaterphotography #gug #chrisgug #gugunderwater
December 13, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Speaking of whalefish
Day 13 brings a real splash of colour to #25DaysOfFishmas. This crimson critter is Barbourisia rufa, the velvet whalefish. Barbourisia is found in temperate and tropical waters around the world, at depths of ~300-2000m, and is, of course, the only member of the Barbourisiidae.
December 13, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Day 13 brings a real splash of colour to #25DaysOfFishmas. This crimson critter is Barbourisia rufa, the velvet whalefish. Barbourisia is found in temperate and tropical waters around the world, at depths of ~300-2000m, and is, of course, the only member of the Barbourisiidae.
For Day 12 of #25DaysOfFishmas we've got a fun little gadoid - this is Steindachneria argentea, the luminous hake. This silver little guy, the only living member of the family Steindachneriidae, is native to the Eastern shelf of North America, between 400 and 500m.
December 12, 2025 at 11:18 AM
For Day 12 of #25DaysOfFishmas we've got a fun little gadoid - this is Steindachneria argentea, the luminous hake. This silver little guy, the only living member of the family Steindachneriidae, is native to the Eastern shelf of North America, between 400 and 500m.
Nothing particularly remarkable about this haddock from yesterday, except that (if I’ve counted correctly) this was the 1000th fish I’ve dissected this year
December 12, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Nothing particularly remarkable about this haddock from yesterday, except that (if I’ve counted correctly) this was the 1000th fish I’ve dissected this year
Day 11 of #25DaysOfFishmas is one of my favourite animals ever, another mesopelagic goof. This bit of tinsel is Stylephorus chordatus, imo one of the weirdest fish in the sea. It is the only member of its order (the Stylephoriformes) - about as isolated as if there were only 1 species of primate!
December 11, 2025 at 10:22 AM
Day 11 of #25DaysOfFishmas is one of my favourite animals ever, another mesopelagic goof. This bit of tinsel is Stylephorus chordatus, imo one of the weirdest fish in the sea. It is the only member of its order (the Stylephoriformes) - about as isolated as if there were only 1 species of primate!