Fish of the Bathypterois genus of the Ipnopidae (deepsea tripod fishes) family of the Chlorophthalmoidei suborder of the Aulopiformes order of the Cyclosquamata superorder.
(Mediterranean spiderfish. Photo © IEO. digitalarchives.tw)
Mediterranean spiderfish (Bathypterois dubius) was first described in 1888 by the French zoologist Léon Louis Vaillant (1834-1914).
It is a seep sea bottom fish. It inhabits the depths of 260-2,800 meters. The maximum recorded length is 20.5 cm. It feeds on crustaceans and zooplankton.
(Mediterranean spiderfish. Photo by © Alexei Orlov. fishbase.org)
In the Adriatic Sea, it is occasionally found in the southern part of the Adriatic Sea.
Names of Mediterranean spiderfish (Bathypterois dubius) in other languages are as follows:
Αραχνόψαρο (Arachnopsaro) (Greek), Ala filosa (Italian), Spinnenfisch (German), Сомнительный батиптер (Somnytelnyi batypter) (Russian), Mediteranska pauk riba (Croatian, Serbian), Filamenteux de fond (French).