Common Name
Dusky Cusk-eel
Year Described
Woods & Kanazawa, 1951
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 115-126
Anal Fin: 98-106
Pectoral Fin: 17-19
Caudal Fin: 9
Pelvic Fin: 2
Gill Rakers: 6 in first arch (2 rudiments + 4 well developed)
Vertebrae:
Body 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 reduced to a small lump on snout. Mouth inferior. Jaw extending rearward to past eye. Rear of maxillary expanded and squared off. Small villiform teeth present on the dentary, maxillary, premaxillary, vomer, palatine and pharyngeal. Head pores numerous and well developed. 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 almost equal (as long as head). Dorsal fin origin over pectoral fin base. Scales small, randomly distributed and barely touching. Head and body posterior to eye fully scaled. Branchiostegal rays number seven. No pyloric caeca.
Color
Body and head golden brown, sprinkled densely with black melanophores. Rear of gill cover and belly pale. A line of melanophores on anal and dorsal fin bases. Eye yellow.
Size
Maximum size to 10cm SL.
Habitat
Found in shallow sandy areas (1-8m) around seagrass beds. Likely burrows.
Range
S. Florida to the S. Caribbean Sea. Also Bermuda.
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.