Common Name
Antillean Smoothhead
Year Described
Goode & Bean, 1896
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 19-22
Anal Fin: 20-22
Pectoral Fin: 15-16
Pelvic Fin: 7-9
Lateral Line Scales: 45
Gill Rakers: 30 (total on first arch)
Branchiostegal rays: 7
Pyloric Caeca:
Vertebrae: 16-17 precaudal, 28-31 caudal
Body moderately slender and elongate, with a large head. Eyes slightly larger than snout. Snout long and pointed (7-10% SL). Premaxiila, maxilla, dentary, palatine, and vomer with teeth (vomer sometimes lacking teeth). Two supramaxilla above maxilla. Rear margin of jaw extends slightly beyond anterior margin of orbit. Dorsal fin directly over anal fin. Pectoral and pelvic fins small. Upper pectoral ray not thickened and filamentous. Caudal fin deeply forked with extended tips. Body and head with scales.
Color
Uniformly brownish.
Size
Maximum size to 15cm SL.
Habitat
Benthopelagic from 455-1,460m.
Range
Scattered records from the N. Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, Colombia, Nicaragua, and the Antilles.
References
McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. 1998. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. Volume 1: Myxiniformes to Gasterosteiformes. University of Texas Press, Austin. i-viii + 1-1112.
Whitehead, P.J.P. , M.-L. Bauchot, J.-C. Hureau, J.G. Nielsen and E. Tortonese. 1986. Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Vol. I-III. UNESCO. Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. http://species-identification.org.