Common Name
Saddled Brotula
Year Described
Nielsen, 1999
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 112-116
Anal Fin: 95-98
Pelvic Fin: 2
Pectoral Fin: 28-29
Caudal Fin: 8
Gill Rakers: 12-14 (only long rakers)
Pseudobranchial Filaments: 2-4
Vertebrae: 63-66
Body elongated and eel-like. Snout blunt. Jaw extends past posterior margin of orbit. Teeth present in jaws, on palatine, and on vomer. Anterior basibranchial tooth path narrows on posterior end. Preopercular spines number 2. Spines on preopercle strong. Opercular spine strong. Dorsal and anal fins confluent with caudal fin. Pelvic fin reaches 2/3 of the way to the anus. Lateral line not obvious. Body scales cycloid.
Color
Body dark brown grading to whitish on the belly. There are up to seven indistinct bars on the body that merge with black spots or ocelli on the dorsal fin. There are always more than four ocelli present. Anal fin with 2-4 spots or faint ocelli. Body with a dense sprinkling of melanophores. Eyes, gills, lips, and gut dark.
Size
Maximum size to 146mm SL
Habitat
Occurs on the continental slope from 320-412m.
Range
Found only off NE Brazil well offshore of the Amazonian outflow.
References
Nielsen, J. G. 1999. A review of the genus Neobythites (Pisces, Ophidiidae) in the Atlantic, with three new species. Bulletin of Marine Science v. 64 (no. 2): 335-372.