[2] Like other Antarctic notothenioid fishes, N. coriiceps evolved in the stable, ice-cold environment of the Southern Ocean.

[7] N. coriiceps maintains a circum-Antarctic distribution that is likely governed at least in part by the presence of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) as well as its egg dispersal patterns.

[2] Bone density increases during maturation, resulting in reduced buoyancy and the transition from pelagic to demersal swimming behavior.

[13] Adults N. coriiceps possess a dense, well-developed skeleton compared to its congener Notothenia rossii, accounting for its reduced buoyancy.

[3] These include a modified heat shock response,[3] the production of antifreeze glycoproteins that prevent ice crystallization of body fluids at subzero temperatures,[16] and the abundance of polyunsaturated fatty acids that allow cells to maintain membrane fluidity.