Abyssal rainbow gar

Else Bostelmann illustration, 1934

The abyssal rainbow gar is a hypothetical species of fish observed by William Beebe while in his bathysphere on 11 August 1934, at a depth of 2,500 feet (760 metres) off the coast of Bermuda. ^{[1] [2]}

Description

At 11:07 o'clock on 11 August 1934, Beebe turned on the 1500-watt light of his bathysphere once at depth. In the illuminated water was a quartet of slender fish oriented upright, each four inches in length, with sharply pointed jaws. Beebe described the heads and jaws of the fish as scarlet, the back of their gills a strong blue, and their posteriors and tails were a clear yellow. After remaining stiff for a moment, the group of fish swam into the darkness. ^[1]

Although he named them abyssal rainbow gars, Beebe stated that they may have been "anything but gars". ^{[1] [n 1]}

See also

• Bathyceratias
• Bathyembryx
• Bathysidus
• Bathysphaera

Notes

1. Gars are primarily freshwater fish and are not found in the deep sea.

References

1. Beebe, William (1934). Half Mile Down (PDF). New York City: Harcourt, Brace and Company. p. 208–209.
2. Matsen, Brad (2007). Descent: The Heroic Discovery of the Abyss. New York City: Knopf Doubleday Publishing. ISBN   9780307425492.