Crested Bandfish, Lophotus guentheri Johnston 1883
Other Names: Crestfish, Unicorn Fish, Unicorn Ribbon-fish
A Crested Bandfish, Lophotus guentheri, that washed ashore on Bherwerre Beach just south of Jervis Bay, New South Wales, June 2020. Source: dj_maple / iNaturalist.org. License: CC By Attribution-NonCommercial
Summary:
A long, silvery-bluish ribbon-like fish becoming paler below, with a pink to reddish or blackish long-based dorsal fin with tall anterior rays, a pink pectoral fin, and a short anal fin positioned just before the small caudal fin. The species has a vertical head profile and very large eyes. It also has an internal ink sac that opens near the anus, containing a dark, inky liquid that may be used as a defence mechanism when the fish is threatened.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2024, Lophotus guentheri in Fishes of Australia, accessed 27 Jun 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/1505
Crested Bandfish, Lophotus guentheri Johnston 1883
More Info
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Distribution |
Off northern New South Wales to off Cheyne Beach, east of Albany, Western Australia. Elsewhere the species circumglobal in the open ocean. |
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Features |
Dorsal fin 225-259; Anal fin 19-21; Pectoral fin 15-18; Gill rakers (lower limb) 7-8; Vertebrae 141-152. Body elongate, moderately deep (approx. 12-20% SL), compressed. Head moderately large (approx. 15% SL), front profile vertical or slanting steeply upwards and forwards; eyes large; mouth small, protrusible, maxilla longer than deep; teeth small, conical, narrow band in upper jaw, single row in lower jaw. Scales cycloid, small, weakly attached; lateral line straight, along middle of sides. Single low dorsal fin arising at front edge of head as short-based, tall crest supported by one to three rays, extending length of body and joining caudal fin; anal fin very small, rounded separate from, but adjacent to caudal fin; caudal fin very small, directed horizontally. Pectoral fins small, Pelvic fins minute. |
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Feeding |
Feeds on cephalopods (squids) and small fishes. |
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Biology |
The Crested Bandfish is a poorly-known species and individuals have often washed ashore after storms. |
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Remarks |
There is confusion over the number of species of Lophotus that occur in Australian waters. It has been treated as Lophotus lacepede, L. capellei and L. guntheri in Australia. Although Craig et al. (2004) used the name L. guntheri for South Pacific species, further work may be needed to determine the identity of Australian material. |
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Etymology |
The species is named for Albert Günther of the British Museum (Natural History). Although Johnston originally named the species guntheri, the correct spelling of species named for Albert Günther is guentheri. |
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Species Citation |
Lophotus guntheri Johnston 1883, Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 1882: 177. Type locality: near Emu Bay, northwestern coast of Tasmania. |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2024 |
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Resources |
Crested Bandfish, Lophotus guentheri Johnston 1883
References
Bray, D.J. 2008. Family Lophotidae. pp. 298 in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp. (as Lophotus lacepede)
Craig, M.T., Hastings, P.A. & Pondella, D.J. II 2004. Notes on the systematics of the crestfish genus Lophotus (Lampridiformes: Lophotidae), with a new record from California. Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences 103(2): 57-65 fig. 1 See ref online
Glover, C.J.M. 1994. Families Lampridae, Veliferidae, Lophotidae, Trachipteridae, Regalecidae, Fistulariidae. pp. 427-435 figs 382-387 in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs. (as Lophotus lacepede)
Griffin, L.T. 1934. Description of a Rare Lophotid Fish from Cape Runaway, New Zealand. Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum 1(5): 239-243 www.jstor.org/stable/42905954
Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp.
Johnston, R.M. 1883. General and critical observations on the fishes of Tasmania. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 1882: 51-144. See ref online
Johnston, R.M. 1883. Description of a new species of fish, caught near Emu Bay, Tasmania. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 1882: 176-178 See ref online
Moore, J. 2019. Lophotus guntheri. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T123374956A123376508. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T123374956A123376508.en. Downloaded on 16 June 2020.
Olney, J.E. 1999. Families Veliferidae, Lamprididae, Stylephoridae, Lophotidae, Radiicephalidae, Trachipteridae, Regalecidae. pp. 1966-1975 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 pp. 1397-2068. (as Lophotus lacepede)
Roberts, T.R. 2012. Systematics, biology, and distribution of the species of the oceanic oarfish genus Regalecus (Teleostei, Lampridiformes, Regalecidae). Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris (N.S.) [1993-2016] A Zoologie 202: 1-268
Stewart, A.L. 2015. Families Veliferidae, Lampridae,Lophotidae,Trachipteridae, Regalecidae. pp.681-694 in Roberts, C.D., Stewart, A.L. & Struthers, C.D. The Fishes of New Zealand. Wellington : Te Papa Press Vol. 3 pp. 577-1152. (as Lophotus capellei)
