Echiostoma barbatum

Echiostoma barbatum (40 cm.)
Threadfin dragon fish. Sculpted in Z-brush and cast from poly urethane resin.

Supervised by Radek Sanda, NMH in Prague and James Maclaine from NMH in London.

The threadfin dragonfish is a larger species of otherwise small barbeled dragonfish, growing to 37 cm in length. Barbeled dragonfish are all quite small and slender deep sea fish, recognizable by their fang-like teeth sitting in jaws quite large compared to the size of the fish. The pectoral fins are reduced to a single long ray separated from three short rays inserted just behind the head.It is widespread through tropical to temperate waters in all oceans in mid to deep waters up to 2,000 metres, and like most deep sea fish, they have bioluminescent organs to attract prey. And these are quite a few: It has a short bioluminescent barbel or tentacle present beneath the lower jaw and a large triangular luminous organ positioned  behind the eye. A row of light organs runs along the lower surface between the bases of pectoral and pelvic fins. In life, the photophores emit blue and pinkish light.

Photos: 10 Tons and Thomas Foldberg
Digital sculpting Dmytro Teslenko

Scientific supervision: James Maclaine, Natural History Museum, London and Radek Sanda, Natural History Museum in Prague.