Common Name
Staiger's Brotula
Year Described
Cohen & Nielsen, 1972
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 86-88
Anal Fin: 53-57
Caudal Fin: 12
Pectoral Fin: 18-19
Branchiostegal Rays: 8
Vertebrae: 51-54 total (13-14 precaudal)
Body elongate but more stout and robust than Parasaccogaster. Head about 26-30% of standard length. Anterior pores present. Posterior infraorbital, supraorbital, and mandibular pores absent. Eye small. Rear nostril small. 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. Gill filaments on anterior arch half or equal in length to raker length. 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 present on body but not head and abdomen.
Color
Uniformly brown in preservative with blue eyes.
Size
Specimens range from 49-93mm SL.
Habitat
Continental slopes from 201-450m. Benthic.
Range
Known from the east coast of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.
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 presence of scales differentiates this from S. parva.