Species · GBIF taxon 2411162
Pacific Barreleye
Macropinna microstomaAlso known as Barreleye, Transparent-Headed Fish
Pacific barreleyes hover motionlessly in the twilight zone of the northern Pacific, waiting to ambush small prey drifting overhead. Their glowing green eyes rotate inside a clear, fluid-filled dome on top of their head, allowing them to look upward through their transparent forehead or forward while stealing food from stinging siphonophores. Large, broad fins keep them perfectly stabilized in midwater currents as they scan for faint shadows against the faint light above.
Deep SeaTransparent DomeTubular Eyes
Licensed reference(c)
Kim Reisenbichler, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Siphonophores
- Copepods
- Jellyfish
Predators
- Larger deep-sea fish
- Deep-diving whales
ThreatsDeep-sea habitat disruption, ocean warming, ocean acidification
HabitatsBathypelagic deep ocean waters (600–800 m)
Life spanEstimated 5–10 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderOsmeriformes
- FamilyOpisthoproctidae
- GenusMacropinna
- SpeciesMacropinna microstoma
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe through deep-sea video footage and research submersibles.
Responsible observation
- Submersible Viewing: Observe high-definition video footage captured by remote oceanographic ROVs.
- Eye Rotation: Watch for green tubular eyes shifting from overhead scanning to forward tracking.
- Pressure Limits: Cannot survive at surface pressures, so live public exhibits do not exist.
Prey Source (c) Catriona Munro, Stefan Siebert, Felipe Zapata, Mark Howison, Alejandro Damian-Serrano, Samuel H. Church, Freya E.Goetz, Philip R. Pugh, Steven H.D.Haddock, Casey W.Dunn, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Frequent Neighbor Skye McDavid / CC BY 4.0 · cc-by
Close Relative Adrian Flynn / CC BY 1.0 · cc-by
Help improve the field guideSomething wrong?
Checking your Fauna account…Report a name, category, or profile issue for review.