Common Name
Dwarf Brotula
Year Described
Cohen & Nielsen, 1972
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 91
Anal Fin: 64
Caudal Fin:
Pectoral Fin: 14
Branchiostegal Rays: 8
Vertebrae: 16+38=54
Body elongate but more stout and robust than Parasaccogaster. Head about 26-30% of standard length. Five patches of posterior neuromasts (17-18 total) on the head. Anterior pores present. Eye small. Rear nostril medium. Mouth large, extending well past eye. Vomer and dentary with fangs. Palatine teeth in single row. Maxilla expanded posteriorly. Gill opening reaches above level of pectoral fin base. There are 5-6 developed gill rakers on the first arch. Gill rakers much longer than gill filaments. Opercular spine buried in skin. Pectoral fin medium. Pectoral base on a free peduncle. Pelvic fin a single filamentous ray. Dorsal fin origin over pectoral fin. Anal fin placed far back on body. Dorsal and anal fins continuous with caudal fin. Scales absent.
Color
Uniformly violet-brown.
Size
Known specimen measures 58mm SL.
Habitat
Continental slopes around 500m. Benthic.
Range
Known only from southern Brazil.
References
Cohen, D.M. 1987. Notes on the bythitid fish genus Saccogaster with a new species from the Gulf of Mexico. Nat. Hist. Mus. Los Angeles Co., Contr. Sci., 385, 1-4.
Nielsen, J.G., Schwarzhans, W., & D.M Cohen. 2012. Revision of Hastatobythites and Saccogaster (Teleostei, Bythitidae) with three new species and a new genus. Zootaxa, 3579(1), 1-36.
Other Notes
The neuromast patches on the head are unique to this species in the Atlantic Ocean. The combination of no scales and a stalked pectoral peduncle are also useful characters.