Antarctic silverfish
The Antarctic silverfish is a species of notothen native to the Southern Ocean and the only truly pelagic fish in the waters near Antarctica. It is a keystone species in the ecosystem of the Southern Ocean.
While widely distributed around the Antarctic, the species appears to have largely disappeared from the western side of the northern Antarctic Peninsula, based on a 2010 research cruise funded by the National Science Foundation under the US Antarctic Program.Description
Antarctic silverfish usually grow to about in length, with a maximum of. When alive, they are pink with a silver tint, but turn silver only after death. This Antarctic marine fish is one of several in the region that produce antifreeze glycopeptides as an adaptation against the extreme cold of Antarctic waters.Ecology
The postlarvae, in size, feed on eggs of calanoids, sea snails Limacina and tintinnids. Juveniles feeds on copepods, mostly on Oncaea curvata.
Antarctic silverfish are an important prey species for high trophic animals, such as the Adelie penguin and the Weddell seal.
