Common Name
Longarm Brotula
Year Described
Böhlke & Cohen, 1966
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 63-70
Anal Fin: 51-57
Pectoral Fin: 13-15
Caudal Fin: 10
Vertebrae: 11-12 precaudal, 43-44 total
Gill Rakers: 2 rakers on first arch
Body elongated and tapering posteriorly. Snout pointed. Head flattened over mouth. Eye medium. Numerous skin flaps overhang lips. Anterior nostril tube shaped right above lip on snout. Rear nostril a pit. One supraorbital pore. No preopercular pores. Mouth large. Teeth in jaws and on vomer.
Palatine teeth present. Spine present on opercle. A strong forward facing spine on lower preopercle. Pectoral fin peduncle elongated. Pelvic fin a single filamentous ray. Dorsal and anal fin continuous with tail. Entire body and most of head fully scaled (~60-70 in series). Head, lateral line, and belly with numerous sensory papillae and skinflaps.
Color
Body gray to brown with a darker head. Scale centers darker giving the body a reticulated appearance. Fins paler brown to yellowish.
Size
Maximum size to 73mm SL.
Habitat
A reef associated species (6-55m) from patch reefs to the edge of drop-offs.
Range
Scattered records in the Caribbean Sea from the Bahamas, the Caymans, Jamaica, the Lesser Antilles, and off Colombia.
References
Acero-P, A., & J. Garzón-Ferreira. 1986. Peces de las Islas del Rosario y de San Bernardo (Colombia) II. Tres nuevos registros para el Caribe Sur y 16 más para la costa norte continental colombiana. Boletín de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Vo. 15-16: 3-29.
Bohlke, J.E. 1966. A new shallow-water ophidioid fish from the tropical west Atlantic. Not Nat (Phila), 396, 1-7.
Schwarzhans, W., & J.G. Nielsen, J. 2011. Revision of the genus’ Microbrotula(Teleostei: Bythitidae), with description of two new species and a related new genus. Beagle: Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, The, 27, 147-160.
Other Notes
Anal fin ray and caudal fin counts differentiate the two Atlantic Calamopteryx.