Common Name
Dark Cuskeel
Year Described
Brauer, 1906
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 108-125
Anal Fin: 92-108
Pectoral Fin: 19-22
Caudal Fin: 8-9
Pelvic Fin: 0
Gill Rakers: 15-19 (developed)
Vertebrae: 13-14 (precaudal), 68-71 (total)
Body elongate and heavy, tapering posteriorly. Body depth 4.8-8.9 in SL. Head thick and rounded but becoming compressed beyond the pectoral fin. Mouth subterminal, large and strongly oblique. Posterior maxillary not sheathed or only slightly so. Basibranchial tooth patch present. Opercular spine strong in adults (thinner in juveniles). Dorsal and anal fin continuous with tail. Pectoral fins short and fanlike. Pelvic fins absent. Lateral line a raised ridge with distinct neuromasts/pores dorsal to ridge.
Larvae with spectacular projections of the gut (often longer than body), often covered in fleshy flaps. Pelvic and dorsal fins with elongated rays.
Color
Body dark gray, blue-gray, or black. Unpaired fins with thick black margins. Pectoral fins black. Larvae transparent with yellow blotches on vertebral column on on gut, and white speckles on fleshy filaments.
Size
Maximum size to 103cm SL.
Habitat
Taken between 800-1600m so likely found both in water column and near the bottom.
Range
Known from off New England, north of Puerto Rico and in the southern Caribbean Sea.
References
Cohen, D. M., D. A. Hensley, & J. L. Kimmel. 1991. The deepsea ophidiid fish genus Lamprogrammus, a senior synonym of Bassobythites, with notes on the synonymy and distribution of L. brunswigi. Japanese Journal of Ichthyology, 38(2), 125-132.
Fahay, M. P., & J. G. Nielsen. 2003. Ontogenetic evidence supporting a relationship between Brotulotaenia and Lamprogrammus (Ophidiiformes: Ophidiidae) based on the morphology of exterilium and rubaniform larvae. Ichthyological Research, 50, 209-220.