Notothenia

a genus of fish of the order Perciformes. The mouth is small, and there are no canine teeth. There are usually two lateral lines. The genus contains approximately 30 species, which are distributed mainly in Antarctica, along the shores of Patagonia and the subantarctic islands. N. kempi, the most widely distributed species, is found along the coasts of Antarctica. A deep-water fish, it inhabits depths to 830 m. Other common species are N. rossi, N. squamifrons, and N. gibberifrons, which are trawled along the South Georgia and Kerguelen islands. The largest species, N. rossi, is up to 90 cm long and weighs up to 9 kg. The adult form has a spotty-marble coloration. The fish live in bays for five or six years and, upon reaching sexual maturity, enter the open sea, where they feed on krill. Fecundity is 30,000–90,000 eggs, which lay on the bottom. Spawning occurs in the autumn or winter. The fish is very tasty, particularly in the form of a smoked or cured fillet.