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| Scientific Name | Benthodesmus pacificus |
|---|---|
| Conservation Status | Data Defficient |
| Family | Chordata |
| Habitat | North Pacific Rim |
| Food | Fish |
The North Pacific frostfish, Benthodesmus pacificus, is a cutlassfish of the family Trichiuridae found in the north Pacific Ocean between latitudes 50° N and 30° N at depths of between 100 and 1,000 m. Its length is up to 112 cm.
The cutlassfishes are about 40 species of predatory fish in the family Trichiuridae (order Perciformes) found in seas throughout the world. Fish of this family are long, slender, and generally steely blue or silver in colour, giving rise to their name. They have reduced or absent pelvic and caudal fins, giving them an eel-like appearance, and large fang-like teeth.
Some species are known as scabbardfishes or hairtails or Walla Walla; others are called frostfishes because they appear in late autumn and early winter, around the time of the first frosts.