Author: (Holt and Byrne, 1908)
Neocyttus helgae (Holt and Byrne, 1908)
Status in World Register of Marine Species:
Accepted name: Neocyttus helgae (Holt and Byrne, 1908) (updated 2009-06-25)
Diagnosis: body very deep and almost rhomboid, the predorsal profile distinctly concave. Superficial head bones roughly granulated where scaleless, the lachrymal with several small spines; snout fully scaled, as also lanceolate inter-orbital area, but operculum and suboperculum scaleless. Eye large, mouth small. Pectoral fins high up and rounded; pelvic fins nearer to anal fin origin than to isthmus; dorsal fin with VII+ 34-36 finrays, the second spine long, the soft finrays with lateral spinules; anal fin with IV + 30-32 finrays, the first spine long, the soft finrays with lateral spinules; all fin spines strong, with many longitudinal grooves. Scales strongly adherent, ctenoid, the cteni robust and erect. Colour: body grey, fin membranes and gill cover blackish. Size: 17.2-21.5 cm SL.
Habitat: in deep water (two specimens from 988-1,208 m); one Madeiran specimen found on a sandy beach 'a little alive' (G. E. Maul, in litt.). Food: no data. Reproduction: an oreosoma stage recently caught with an expanded belly.
Distribution: off Ireland, Madeira.
Note. For a second possible oreosomatid species in the Clofnam area, see under family.