Common Name
Robust Brotula
Year Described
Goode & Bean, 1886
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 96-111
Anal Fin: 84-94
Pelvic Fin: 2
Pectoral Fin: 27-33
Caudal Fin: 11
Gill Rakers: 6-11 (long rays on first arch)
Vertebrae: 11-12+37-39
Body elongate but stout (maximum body depth ~25% SL). Body tapers rearward to a pointed tail. Snout short and blunt. Head about 20% of TL. Two strong spines on opercle. Eye large (>30% of HL). Mouth subterminal and large; extends beyond orbit. Jaws with small teeth; a single band of canine teeth. Predorsal length ~30% SL. Preanal length ~40% SL. Dorsal and anal fins continuous with tail. Caudal fin present and small. Pectoral fin moderate at midbody. First pelvic ray elongate. Scales small (~100 in lateral series) and cycloid. ~12 scale rows between dorsal fin and lateral line. Head scaled. 5-7 pseudobranchial filaments.
Color
Body pale gray with a darker back. Lower head and gut area whitish. No markings. Fins translucent. Body and head light brown in preservative. Snout and pelvic area darker brown. Fins pale to dusky.
Size
Maximum size to 15cm TL.
Habitat
Occurs near the bottom at depths of 500-1000m.
Range
Off Nova Scotia to S. Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.
References
Bilecenoglu, M., M. Kaya, & E. Irmak. 2006. First records of the slender snipe eel, Nemichthys scolopaceus (Nemichthyidae), and the robust cusk-eel, Benthocometes robustus (Ophidiidae), from the Aegean Sea. Acta ichthyologica et piscatoria, 36(1), 85-88.
Nielsen, J.G. & S.A. Evseenko, S. A. 1989. Larval stages of Benthocometes robustus (Ophidiidae) from the Mediterranean. Cybium, 13(1), 7-12.