Scientific Name
Optivus agastos
Common Name
Violet roughy
Biology
Dorsal
spines
(total): 4 - 5;
Dorsal
soft rays
(total): 10-11;
Anal
spines: 3;
Anal
soft rays: 9 - 10;
Vertebrae: 26. This species is characterized by the following: gill rakers 22-25 (modally 23); lateral profile of nape and head nearly straight, distinctly angled downward in front of dorsal fin; snout tip rounded, often projecting slightly in front of upper jaw; depth of head at vertical through upper end of gill opening 2.9-3.2 times in SL; snout length 1.6-2.7 times in eye diameter; inner row of teeth on premaxilla is noticeably longer than others; caudal peduncle relatively short and deep, its depth 0.9-1.3 times in length; dorsal and anal fins are relatively low, third
segmented dorsal-fin ray 3.5-4.2 times in SL, first anal-fin ray 5.2-6.3 times in SL; body color greenish brown on back, silvery below; fins almost uniformly pink, though slightly dusky tips to caudal-fin lobes lasting in recently preserved large specimens (Ref. 76814).