Spiny Icefish

The spiny icefish has a spine on the snout and well developed spines on the operculum. The first dorsal fin has 5-8 spines, there are 38-42 soft rays in the second dorsal fin and 32-36 soft rays in the anal fin. The first and second dorsal fins are almost continuous. The pelvic fins have a single spine and 4 soft rays with the outer two rays being the longest. The caudal fin is slightly truncate or rounded. They have three lateral lines but the middle lateral line is confined to the caudal peduncle. This species attains a maximum total length of 43 cm (17 in), although 30 cm (12 in) are more typical. They are pale grey with five dark cross-bars on the sides of its body, often with dark blotches in between. The ventral area is white. There are stripes on the second dorsal fin formed by a series of small, dark spots.

The spiny icefish is native to the Southern Ocean where it occurs in a circum-Antarctic distribution, with the northernmost records from the South Orkney Islands. It is a benthopelagic species which lives at depths of up to 800 m (2620 ft), however, it is common in the shallower waters of the continental shelf, especially on banks less than 250 m (820 ft) deep.