Elsman's Whipnose

Gigantactis elsmani has relatively large metamorphosed females, which are black and have a comparatively short illicium, which has a length equivalent to 93-126% of the fish's standard length. It does not have an elongated bulb on the esca, which has a single filamentous appendage on its base and two near its tip. There are no papillae on the bulb of the esca. There is no cluster of white filaments at the base of the illicium. There are 5 soft rays in the dorsal fin and 4 or 5 in the anal fin. The teeth on the dentary are comparatively short and arranged in 5 or 6 rows. This species has a maximum published standard length of 43.5 cm (17.1 in).

Gigantactis elsmani has been recorded in the southern Atlantic and Pacific oceans, where it has been reported to occur from the surface down to depths of 3,000 m (9,800 ft).

Gigantactis elsmani is a member of the genus Gigantactis, the name of which is a combination of gigantos, meaning "giant", with either ἀκτίς ("ray"), or tactis ("toucher", as in tactile), an allusion to the unusually long illicium of the genus's type species, G. vanhoeffeni, shared with this species. The specific name honours Kai L. Elsman, who illustrated the review of the whipnose anglers the species was first described in.