Roudi escolar (Promethichthys prometheus) is a saltwater species recorded in Taiwan, United States. It is found at depths of 80–800 m.
Scientific name: Promethichthys prometheus · Water: Saltwater
Size: up to 100 cm
The roudi escolar is a gempylid found on continental slopes and around oceanic islands and submarine rises, in the mesopelagic bottom layer, and it moves into midwater at night. It feeds on fishes, cephalopods and crustaceans, and its eggs and larvae are pelagic. It occurs in the tropical and warm temperate waters of all oceans but is absent from the eastern Pacific except at the Sala y Gomez Ridge. It lives from 80 to 800 m, usually between 300 and 400 m, and reaches about 100 cm standard length, commonly 40 cm, living about eleven years. It is taken mainly by subsistence fisheries and by game fishers, usually as bait, with a trophic level of 4.2, high fishing vulnerability at 58 of 100, moderate climate vulnerability at 39, and low resilience.
Caution: large individuals carry a ciguatera risk. Heat, cold and marinating do not remove the toxin, which concentrates in the liver, roe and head, so avoid eating those parts. Seek medical help if numbness, tingling or a reversed sense of hot and cold follows a meal.
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