Common Name
Pallid Cusk-eel
Year Described
Lea & Robins, 2003
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 129-130
Anal Fin: 100-101
Pectoral Fin: 21-22
Caudal Fin: 9
Pelvic Fin: 2
Gill Rakers: 4 developed, 2 rudiments
Vertebrae: 17-18 precaudal, 52–53 caudal, 70 total
Body elongated with dorsal and ventral profiles almost parallel except for the tapered tail. Head rounded, often with a fleshy dorsal crest. Snout barely projecting with short 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 unequal (reaching preopercle when depressed). Pectoral fins do not reach dorsal origin. Branchiostegal rays number seven. Body covered in small basketweave scales. Head without scales.
Color
Body and head pale brown, heavily peppered with melanophores. Fins without dark borders.
Size
Male holotype is 138.3MM SL.
Habitat
One of the deepest members of the genus: 348-384m.
Range
Known from the Bahamas and off the NE 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.
Other Notes
This and Ophidion dromio are part of the O. holbrookii complex with 4 developed gill rakers on the lower limb of the first arch.