Common Name
Harelip Cusk-eel
Year Described
Böhlke & Robins, 1959
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 123-125
Anal Fin: 103-105
Pectoral Fin: 17-19
Caudal Fin: 9
Pelvic Fin: 2
Gill Rakers: 7-8 (total plus rudiments on first arch)
Vertebrae:
Body slender and elongated, with dorsal and ventral profiles almost parallel except for the tapered tail. Head profile convex. Snout slightly projecting over mouth. Snout tip above upper lip with many fleshy projections, grooves and ridges giving it an undulating edge. Ethmoid spine small but hooked backwards. Mouth inferior. Jaw extending rearward to past eye. Rear of maxillary not expanded and blunt. Small villiform teeth present on the dentary, maxillary, premaxillary, vomer, palatine and pharyngeal. No head pores except two on the end of the dentary. Opercular spine well developed but buried in skin. Dorsal and anal fins continuous with tail. Anal origin well behind dorsal origin. Pectoral fin short and rounded. Pelvic fins quite unequal (anterior much shorter). Dorsal fin origin over pectoral fin base.. Scales very small, randomly distributed and separated. Lateral line ends over anus. Head, nape, and trunk anterior to dorsal fin without scales. Branchiostegal rays number seven. No pyloric caeca.
Color
Body uniformly translucent tan, with slightly darker pigment on the fin bases and a heavy sprinkling of melanophores. Vertebral column usually gray. Dark pigment on the top of the head outlining major bone structures runs from between eyes to the rear of cranium. Fins pale. Juveniles similar but with dark pigment along the lateral line and a six-pointed dark blotch on the top of the head. Eye silvery.
Size
Maximum size to 7cm SL.
Habitat
Found on sandy bottoms (1-15m) in patchy reef areas with scattered coral growth.
Range
Known from the Bahamas to the Lesser Antilles.
References
Böhlke, J. E., & C. R. Robins. 1959. Studies on Fishes of the Family Ophidiidae: II. Three New Species from the Bahamas. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 111, 37-52.