Jonah's icefish was first formally described in 1947 by the Swedish ichthyologist Orvar Nybelin [sv] with the type locality given as near the Balleny Islands, Ross Dependency in Antarctica.

[2] In January 2014 the first nesting Jonah's icefish records were made,[5] and in February 2021 a larger colony estimated to be composed of approximately 60 million Jonah's icefish was found,[6] both colonies were discovered inhabiting the Filchner Trough in the southern Weddell Sea, off the coast of Antarctica between 420 to 535 metres (1,378 to 1,755 ft).

[6] Jonah's icefish mainly feeds on fish, such as Dacodraco hunteri, Chaenodraco wilsoni, Pleuragramma antarcticum and Chionodraco sp., as well as krill, as adults.

Young specimens, however, feed mainly on krill, especially Euphausia superba, and they are frequently caught along with their prey at 10 to 15 cm (3.9 to 5.9 in) total length.

In the South Shetland Islands, both adults and juveniles show a marked preference for krill (only 3 out of 19 sampled specimens had consumed any kind of fish).