There are only two species (Gigantura chuni and G. indica) known of this medium-sized (up to 26 inches long), deep-sea fish, which has magnified eyes, an elongated, scale-less body with silvery coloration, ribbon-like tails, and many needle-like teeth.
Figure 1. The head and mouth of an adult-stage mouth of Gigantura indica (public domain image via the Smithsonian Institution).
These fish live in cold waters, in deep-sea (500 to 2,000 m depths) that underlie warm tropical to subtropical surface waters.
"Telescope" fish use their large eyes to help capture their prey in very low-light conditions. "Telescope fish," furthermore consume all available prey, regardless of size! They basically have raptorial feeding that is similar to moray eels.
The larvae (nearly microscopic in size) and juveniles (a few inches long) (Figure 3) of these types of fish undergo remarkable transformations, with two stages of transformation that are very different-looking. In fact, for 80 years, scientists did not know that these early-stage forms represented Gigantura indica.
Figure 3. A late-juvenile stage of Gigantura indica (“telescope” fish). A public domain image via the Smithsonian Institution.
Classification
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Actinopterygii
Order Aulopiformes
Family Giganturidae
Genus Gigantura
Type Species Gigantura indica
Information about this fish is rather scarce. For the only overview I am aware of, see the online article entitled “The Remarkable Teleoscope Fish”--by D. Olson at: http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/fish/remarkable-telescopefish
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