Common Name
Colonial Cusk-eel
Year Described
Fahay, 1992
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 107-132
Anal Fin: 85-103
Pectoral Fin: 20-22
Caudal Fin: 9
Pelvic Fin: 2
Gill Rakers: 4 developed on lower limb of first arch
Vertebrae: 16 precaudal, 45-47 (caudal), 61-63 (total)
Body elongated, with dorsal and ventral sides almost parallel. Head profile rounded. Tail tapering abruptly rearward. Eye large. Jaw extends rearward to rear half of orbit. Small villiform teeth in jaws, vomer, and palatine (can be biserial on palatine in larger fish). Snout projecting and shorter than eye diameter. Ethmoid spine blunt and directed forward. Opercular spine present but buried in skin. Anal fin origin a little behind dorsal origin. Pectoral fin extends beyond dorsal origin. Pelvic fins long and unequal (longest extends to pectoral base). Scales small, elongate and cycloid, in irregular basketweave pattern. Head and nape without scales.
Color
Body tan grading to whitish on the belly. Two distinct rows of black square blotches offset to form a checkerboard pattern. Dorsal fin with a black border anteriorly, then a clear portion, and finally a thin black margin. Anal fin with a black margin.
Size
Maximum size 156mm SL.
Habitat
Found on soft bottoms between 12-45m.
Range
Delaware to South Carolina along the U.S. east coast.
References
Fahay, M. P. 1992. Development and distribution of cusk eel eggs and larvae in the Middle Atlantic Bight with a description of Ophidion robinsi n. sp. (Teleostei: Ophidiidae). Copeia 1992 (no. 3): 799-819.