Common Name
Longnose Cusk-eel
Year Described
Lea & Robins, 2003
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 111–133 (modally 116–123)
Anal Fin: 94–103
Pectoral Fin: 18–20 (rarely 20)
Caudal Fin: 9
Pelvic Fin: 2
Gill Rakers: 5–6 (rarely 4 or 7) developed, 2 rudiments
Vertebrae: 15–17 (modally 16) precaudal, 49–53 (modally 50–52) caudal, 65–69 (modally 66–68) total
Body elongated with dorsal and ventral profiles almost parallel except for the tapered tail. Head rounded. Snout projecting with prominent ethmoid spine. Mouth inferior. Jaw extending rearward to about mid-orbit. Dorsal and anal fins continuous with tail. Anal origin well behind dorsal origin. Pelvic fins short and unequal (reaching opercle when depressed). Pectoral fins reach dorsal origin. Branchiostegal rays number seven. Body covered in small basketweave scales. Head without scales.
Color
Body and head pale brown with no markings. Fins brown with black margins (more on anal fin but also on anterior dorsal fin). Inside of throat, gill area and gut pale.
Size
Holotype is 210mm SL.
Habitat
Occurs on soft bottoms in fairly shallow water from 10-69m.
Range
South Carolina to NW Florida and off the northern Yucatan Peninsula.
References
Lea, R. N., & C. R. Robins. 2003. Four new species of the genus Ophidion (Pisces: Ophidiidae) from the western Atlantic Ocean / by Robert N. Lea and C. Richard Robins. Scientific Papers, (31), 1-9.