Melamphaes

Melamphaes is a genus of fish in the family Melamphaidae. These fish are commonly known as the crestfish or big-jawed fish. They are found in deep waters worldwide, inhabiting tropical and temperate oceans. Melamphaes species are characterized by their large heads and mouths, often with a prominent crest or ridge on their heads. Their bodies are typically elongated and laterally compressed, with small scales. The coloration varies but often includes shades of brown, gray, or black, sometimes with iridescent hues.

These fish are mesopelagic, meaning they live in the twilight zone of the ocean, typically between 200 and 1,000 meters deep. They are opportunistic predators, feeding on small crustaceans, plankton, and other small invertebrates. Melamphaes play a role in the deep-sea food web.

Reproduction in Melamphaes is generally oviparous, with females laying numerous small eggs. The larval stages are planktonic and drift in the upper ocean layers before descending to deeper waters as they mature. Due to their deep-sea habitat, Melamphaes are rarely encountered by humans and have little direct economic importance, though they are sometimes caught as bycatch in deep-sea fisheries. The genus contains several recognized species, each with specific distributions and minor morphological differences.