Nettastomatidae
by L. Saldanha
Body elongate, scaleless, compressed posteriorly, tapering from anus to tip of tail. Head and snout very elongate, upper jaw with a prominent tip; anterior nostril at tip of snout, posterior nostril a hole or cleft near the eye. Teeth conical, very numerous, in bands on jaws and vomer, visible exteriorly and laterally when mouth is closed. Gill openings crescentic, lateral to ventral. Dorsal, anal and caudal fins confluent; pectoral and pelvic fins absent. Lateral line conspicuous.
Bathybenthic fishes, living mainly in holes on soft bottoms of the continental slope.
Genera 6; in Clofnam area 4.
Recent revision: Smith and Castle (1982—larvae).