Common Name
Roughgilled Assfish
Year Described
Tomiyama, Takami & Fukui, 2021
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 119-126
Anal Fin: 97-103
Pelvic Fin: 1
Pectoral Fin: 24-28
Caudal Fin: 8
Gill Rakers: 12-16 (long rakers on first arch)
Vertebrae: 13-15 (precaudal), 51-54 (caudal), 65-68 (total)
Oblique Scales: 39-45
Body elongate, compressed, and tapering strongly post-anus. Body depth 12.4-16.5% SL. Head large (HL 19-21% SL). Mouth inferior. Anterior nostril on snout, posterior between front nostril and eye. Eye small. Mouth large, extending well past orbit. Rear of maxilla expanded. Tooth patches present on dentary, premaxilla, vomer, palatine, and basibranchial. Teeth tiny and conical. Preopercle lacks spines. Opercular spine weak. Dorsal and anal fins continuous with tail. Dorsal fin origin between preopercle and pectoral base (predorsal length 18-21% SL). Anal fin base averages under the 23rd dorsal fin ray. Dorsal fin slightly higher anteriorly. Caudal fin present but small. Pectoral fin moderate, at eye level, and fan-like. Pelvic fin origin anterior to preopercle and reaches anus. Body flabby and weakly muscled. Cycloid scales cover head and body but absent on jaw. Lateral line absent.
Color
Color brown in preservative with darker brown head and fins. Gill area and peritoneum blackish.
Size
Specimens range from 171-423mm SL.
Habitat
Found in deep water over soft bottoms (1200-2012m).
Range
North Carolina to SW Caribbean and southern Brazil.
References
Tomiyama, S., M. Takami, and A. Fukui. 2022. Description of two new species of Bassozetus (Ophidiiformes: Ophidiidae) and a redescription of Bassozetus robustus Smith and Radcliffe 1913. Ichthyological Research, 69, 17-30.
Other Notes
Records of Bassozetus robustus in the Atlantic refer to this species.