mirror dory
Zenopsis nebulosa
Deep-sea bottom fish with a deep body, reaching 70 cm and up to 3 kg. Its flesh is highly prized, and it is used in commercial fishing.
Also called: peixe-espelho, mirror dory
- maximum
- 70 cm
- record/max.
- 3.0 kg
- depth
- 50–600 m
who is the mirror dory
The family Zeidae (dories) includes deep-bodied, laterally compressed fish, typical of shelf and slope bottoms. This species reaches 70 cm and 3 kg, and lives in the Indo-Pacific, from Japan to Australia and New Zealand, and in the eastern Pacific, off California and on the Nazca seamounts, in Peru. In Latin America it is recorded from Chile and Peru. It usually lives alone, near the bottom, generally from 50 to 600 m, and is commercially fished. It is a highly prized food fish.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the mirror dory.
fun facts
- It can live up to 45 years.
identification
Deep, laterally compressed body, silvery as a mirror, with a large head and mouth. It is a bottom fish, generally from 50 to 600 m, that lives alone. Its deep body and large mouth help identify it among other bottom fish of Chile and Peru.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
Species of the Indo-Pacific (Japan, Australia, New Zealand) and of the eastern Pacific (California and the Nazca seamounts, in Peru). In Latin America it is recorded from Chile and Peru, on bottoms of 50 to 600 m. There are no records off the Brazilian coast.
Habitat: Shelf and slope bottoms, generally from 50 to 600 m.
rules for the mirror dory
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
Harmless to anglers. Because it lives on deep bottoms, rapid ascent can cause barotrauma: release it carefully.
in the kitchen
Excellent-quality flesh, highly prized as food and sold through commercial fishing.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01622, b = 2.93; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Zenopsis nebulosa (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Zenopsis nebulosaNames by country and language.