Common Name
Shorthead Cusk-eel
Year Described
Lea & Robins, 2003
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 116-129 (modally 119-125)
Anal Fin: 92-102 (modally 98-100)
Pectoral Fin: 19-21 (modally 20)
Caudal Fin: 9
Pelvic Fin: 2
Gill Rakers: 4 developed, 2 rudiments
Vertebrae: 16–17 (modally 17) precaudal, 50-52 (modally 51) caudal, 67-69 (modally 68) total
Body elongated with dorsal and ventral profiles almost parallel except for the tapered tail. Head short and bulbous, often with a fleshy ridge present. Snout not projecting much over mouth. Blunt ethmoid spine. Mouth subterminal to slightly 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 about equal length (reaching anterior opercle when depressed). Pectoral fins short of 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 (especially anteriorly and fading rearward). Inside of throat, gill area and gut pale.
Size
Male holotype measures 146mm SL.
Habitat
Taken on soft bottoms from 51-183m (mostly <100m).
Range
South Carolina to Texas and also the northern coast of South America from Colombia to Guyana.
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.
Other Notes
This and Ophidion puck are part of the O. holbrookii complex with 4 developed gill rakers on the lower limb of the first arch.