The Bathysauridae are a small family of deepwater

aulopiform Aulopiformes is a diverse order of marine ray-finned fish consisting of some 15 extant and several prehistoric families with about 45 genera and over 230 species. The common names grinners, lizardfishes and allies, or aulopiforms are sometimes u ...

fish, related to the

telescopefish Telescopefish are small, deep-sea aulopiform fish comprising the small family Giganturidae. The two known species are within the genus ''Gigantura''. Though rarely captured, they are found in cold, deep tropical to subtropical waters worldwide. ...

es. The two species in the family both belong to the genus ''Bathysaurus''. Commonly called deepwater lizardfishes or deepsea lizardfishes, the latter name usually refers to the species ''B. ferox'' specifically. Physically, the bathysaurids resemble the

lizardfish The Synodontidae or lizardfishes(or typical lizardfish to distinguish them from the Bathysauridae and Pseudotrichonotidae) are benthic (bottom-dwelling) marine and estuarine bony fishes that belong to the aulopiform fish order, a diverse group ...

es, as reflected in their common names. They can be distinguished from the lizardfishes by their flatter heads and curved and barbed teeth. They are moderately sized fish, up to in length. Bathysaurids inhabit the deep oceans, below depth. They are one of the world's deepest living apex predators, and will not hesitate to eat anything they meet, including their own kind. Their

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e were originally believed to represent a distinct genus (''Macristium'') and even family. The two Bathysaurid species, ''Bathysaurus mollis'' and ''Bathysaurus ferox'' are

hermaphrodite In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes. Many Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrate ...

s, meaning they sport both male and female sex organs, but not much is known about their mating and breeding habits due to the great depth the two species live at.

Species

The currently recognized species in this genus are: * ''

Bathysaurus ferox The deepsea lizardfish, ''Bathysaurus ferox'', is an aulopiform of the family Bathysauridae, found in tropical and subtropical seas across the world. The deepsea lizardfish should not be confused with the true or "typical" lizardfishes of the rela ...

'' Günther, 1878 (deepsea lizardfish) * ''

Bathysaurus mollis ''Bathysaurus mollis'' is a species of fish in the family Bathysauridae The Bathysauridae are a small family of deepwater aulopiform fish, related to the telescopefishes. The two species in the family both belong to the genus ''Bathysaurus''. ...

'' Günther, 1878 (highfin lizardfish)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1354430 Aulopiformes Ray-finned fish families