Benthodesmus vityazi, the Vityaz' frostfish, lives in the Indo-Pacific, with latitude ranging from 33ðN - 20ðS, and longitudes ranging from 49ðE - 141ðW. Adults from the benthopelagic are located from 640 to 820 m, while juveniles from the mesopelagic are located from 170 to 900 m.
It is a silvery frostfish with blackish jaws and a gill cover, with the inside of the mouth and gill cavities black in color. The pelvic fins are inserted behind the posterior end of the pectoral-fin base, and they have relatively low number of vertebrae, dorsal and anal fin-elements for species with the posterior position of pelvic fins. The anus is located under the 2nd or 3rd soft dorsal-fin ray, and external rays developed only in the posterior part of the anal fin.
The fish was discovered by the ship Vityaz, after which it was named.
The name âÂÂBenthodesmus vityaziâ comes from Greek, with âÂÂbenthosâ meaning depth of the sea, and âÂÂdesmos,â meaning bond or chain.