Common Name
Smooth-palate Brotula
Year Described
Carter, 1983
Identification
Data for holotype only:
Dorsal Fin: 116
Anal Fin: 98
Pelvic Fin: 1
Pectoral Fin: 25
Caudal Fin: 8
Gill Rakers: 10 (long rakers on first arch)
Vertebrae: 13 (precaudal), 50 (caudal)
Branchiostegal Rays: 7-8
Body elongate and tapering strongly post-anus. Head large and fat. Mouth inferior. Anterior nostrils enlarged. Eye tiny. Mouth large, extending well past orbit. Jaw (both), palatine, and pharyngeal teeth patches present but teeth minute. No basibranchial or vomerine 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 8-9% SL. Body flabby and weakly muscled. Cycloid scales cover whole body. Lateral line faint.
Color
Body and head pale brown in life. Fins a darker shade of brown. Opercular area dark. Inside of mouth white.
Size
Maximum known size 786mm TL.
Habitat
Holotype taken in extremely deep hadal depths (5082m) over red clay and siliceous ooze.
Range
Known from scattered records in the Bahamas, the Sargasso Sea, and the southern Caribbean. Likely widespread in the region in the deepest water.
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.