Common Name
Normal Assfish
Year Described
Gill, 1883
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 121-132
Anal Fin: 99-108
Pelvic Fin: 1
Pectoral Fin: 22-28
Caudal Fin: 7-8
Gill Rakers: 13-20 (long rakers on first arch)
Vertebrae: 13-15 (precaudal), 67-71(total)
Oblique Scales: 25-35
Body elongate, compressed, and tapering strongly post-anus. Body depth 8-12% SL. Head large (HL 16-21% 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, vomer, and palatine. Basibranchial patch present. 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 15-18.5% SL). Anal fin base averages under the 24-27th dorsal fin ray. Dorsal fin slightly higher anteriorly. Caudal fin present and long. Pectoral fin moderate, at eye level, and fan-like. Pelvic fin origin anterior to preopercle and reaching beyond anus. Body flabby and weakly muscled. Cycloid scales cover head and body but absent on jaw. Lateral line absent.
Color
Preserved material pale yellow-brown with darker head, gill and gut regions. Live color not known.
Size
Maximum size to 276mm SL.
Habitat
Known from lower slope to abyssal depths on soft bottoms (1760-5062m).
Range
Known from off New England to S, Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.
References
Nielsen J.G. & N.R. Merrett. 2000. Revision of the cosmopolitan deepsea genus Bassozetus (Pisces: Ophidiidae) with two new species. Galathea Rep 18:7–56, 1 pl.
Tomiyama, S., M. Takami, and A. Fukui. 2018. A new deepwater assfish, Bassozetus nielseni sp. nov.(Ophidiiformes: Ophidiidae), from the North Atlantic and West Indian oceans. Ichthyological Research, 65, 353-362.