When it comes to my Aliens Collection, the weirder the better - and few fish are weirder than the larval-stage #Lamprogrammus #cuskeel

#deepsea #deepseacreatures #deepwater #deepseafish #blackwater #blackwaterdiving #blackwaterphotography #gug #chrisgug #gugunderwater

Crazy-looking larval cusk eel with an impressive external gut. We’re still not sure why having the intestines on the outside is advantageous, but there must be a good reason 🤔
TL ~2.5cm

#cuskeel #larvalfish #deepseafish #deepseacreatures #blackwaterdiving #chrisgug #gugunderwater #gug

How cute! This Bony-Eared Assfish has a pet amphipod!
And yes, that’s the actual name of this this #fish - the bony-eared #assfish #Acanthonus armatus

#cuskeel #bonyearedassfish #acanthonusarmatus #blackwater #blackwaterdiving #deepseafish #larvalfish #deepsea #chrisgug #gugunderwater #gug

The largest larval-stage #Lucibrotula corethromycter cusk eel I’ve ever seen!

#cuskeel #larvalfish #deepseafish #deepsea #deepseacreatures #lucibrotula #blackwater #blackwaterdiving #blackwaterphotography #gug #chrisgug #gugunderwater #scubadiving #underwater

Another of my “Images Unsorted” folders ✔️ This time from 18 & 19 May, 2024

In order, we have
1) #DiamondSquid
2) “monstrous” shrimp
3) unidentified #scorpionfish
4) #gurnard
5) #codlett
6) unidentified #CuskEel
7) shrimp riding a #PelagicNudibranch

#deepseafish #blackwater #blackwaterdiving #gug

The head of a spotted cusk eel sticking up out of sand with the rest of its body submerged. A rock covered with pink algae is behind it in the aquarium

A spotted cusk-eel submerged in sand at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

#FishyFriday #Fish #Ophidiidae #BonyFish #Photography #CuskEel #MBARI #California

In order, we have:
1) #Louvar
2) #swordfish
3) #flyingfish
4) #cuskeel
5) #ipnops
6) #siphonophore (don’t lick 👅)
7) #polychaete worm
8) sargassum #filefish

#deepseafish #larvalfish #blackwater #blackwaterdiving #blackwaterphotography #blackwatervideo #scubadiving #ocean #gugunderwater #gug

Love the way this type of #cuskeel larvae sometimes curls its little tail over its face - so freakin cute! 🥰 This guy is ~1.5 cm, and while I can’t be sure, it could be #Monomitopus agassizii.

#deepseafish #fishlarvae #blackwater #chrisgug #gugunderwater #gug #underwater #scubadiving #ocean

The ultra-rare Bony-Eared #Assfish (#Acanthonus #armatus)
The same species featured in my Aliens Collection print, “Alien 29”.
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#bonyearedassfish #acanthonusarmatus #cuskeel #deepseacreatures #deepseafish #blackwater #blackwaterdiving #marinebiology #chrisgug #gugunderwater #gug

Excited to come across this rare species of larval cusk eel last week! Just under two inches.
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#cuskeel #deepwater #deepwaterfish #ophidiidae #neobythitinae #rarefish #blackwater #blackwaterdiving #blackwaterphotography #scubadiving #underwater #ocean #scuba #diving #gug #chrisgug #gugunderwater

Cusk eels (which are not actually eels) are one of my most sought-after subjects while hunting for my Aliens. This is #Porogadus miles, or what I call, the “bubble-gut #cuskeel”.
Shot on #scuba last week while out over the deep water at night off the Florida coast.

Love the way this super cute #cuskeel curls its tail around its body. While observing it, it often switches from tail-left to tail-right, but pretty much never uncurls unless it goes for a short burst of speed, then resumes the curled pose.
TL ~1cm
#ophidiidae #blackwater