any of the five species of fishes in the genus Polymixia constituting the family Polymixiidae (order Polymixiiformes). Beardfishes are restricted primarily to deep-sea marine habitats in tropical and temperate regions of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. They generally are found at depths from about 200 to 600 metres (650 to 2,000 feet). The term beardfish comes from the beardlike appearance of two enlarged barbels that extend downward from the chin region. Beardfishes are not particularly large; the widely distributed stout beardfish (P. nobilis) attains a length of less than 20 centimetres (8 inches).