Common Name
Flabby Brotula
Year Described
Hureau, Staiger & Nielsen, 1979
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 129-131
Anal Fin: 109-111
Pelvic Fin: 1
Pectoral Fin: 25-28
Caudal Fin: 8
Gill Rakers: 10-12 (long rakers on first arch)
Vertebrae: 13 (precaudal), 59-60 (caudal)
Branchiostegal Rays: 7-8
Body elongate and tapering strongly post-anus. Head large and fat. Mouth inferior. Anterior nostrils enlarged. Eye small. Mouth large, extending well past orbit. Jaw (both), palatine, and pharyngeal teeth patches present but teeth minute. Vomerine teeth present. No basibranchial tooth patches. Opercular spines absent. Dorsal and anal fins continuous with tail. Caudal fin present but hard to discern. Pectoral fin moderate and fan-like. Pelvic ray 13-16% SL. Body flabby and weakly muscled. Cycloid scales cover whole body. Lateral line faint.
Color
Color in life unknown but likely unmarked pale or brown like relatives in the deep sea.
Size
Maximum known size 571mm TL.
Habitat
Abyssal over soft bottoms (2560–4150m).
Range
Known from 2 specimens from the Bahamas and one from the S. Caribbean.
References
Carter, H.J. 1983. Apagesoma edentatum, a new genus and species of ophidiid fish from the western North Atlantic. Bulletin of Marine Science, 33(1), 94-101.
Merrett, N.R. & J.G. Nielsen, J.G. 2001. Fourth specimen of the deep benthopelagic ophidiid fish, Apagesoma delosommatus (Hureau, Staiger & Nielsen, 1979). Journal of fish biology, 59(3), 751-753.