Common Name
Elongate Brotula
Year Described
Nielsen & Retzer, 1994
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 101-105
Anal Fin: 86-90
Pelvic Fin: 2
Pectoral Fin: 23-26
Caudal Fin: 8
Gill Rakers: 13-15 (only long rakers)
Pseudobranchial Filaments: 2-4
Vertebrae: 60-63
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 uniformly dark brown with an indistinct dark stripe on upper mid-body and dark reticulations on the top of the head. Body densely sprinkled with dark melanophores. Eye, gills region, lips, and gut dark. Fins lack ocelli.
Size
Maximum size to 137mm SL
Habitat
Occurs on the deep continental shelf and the slope from 229-1272m.
Range
S. Florida to Panama in the western Caribbean Sea. Also in the Greater Antilles. Likely widespread in the Caribbean Sea.
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.