Common Name
Frowning Cusk-eel
Year Described
Vaillant, 1888
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 135-158
Anal Fin: 106-122
Pectoral Fin: 18-19
Caudal Fin: 8
Pelvic Fin: 1
Gill Rakers: 8-10 long rakers (first arch)
Vertebrae: 18-19 precaudal, 77-83 total
Body elongate but fairly robust. Tail elongate and tapering rapidly behind a humped back (depth greatest at dorsal fin origin). Head very flattened. Snout very long (5-7 times eye diameter). Eye small. Mouth large and downturned. Maxilla extends well past eye and is greatly expanded. Teeth present in both jaws, vomer, and palatines. Two (rarely three) basibranchial tooth patches. Preopercle with 4-7 spines on its margin. One major opercular spines and a 1-5 smaller ones. Body completely covered in scales except for a naked snout. Head with scales on top of head, preopercle, and opercle. Dorsal and anal fins continuous with tail. Caudal fin elongated. Pectoral fin moderate. Pelvic fin short and threadlike. Three lateral lines: one arched, one on mid-side, and one on lower body. Lateral lines scales enlarged.
Color
Body dark brown grading to whitish on the slender part of the tail. Fins darker brown. Head and gut area bluish-gray.
Size
Maximum size to 330mm SL.
Habitat
Taken near the bottom 960-3535m.
Range
Off New England to southern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.
References
Nielsen, J.G. & S. Ohashi. 2011. A new species of Penopus (Teleostei: Ophidiidae) from the Ryukyu Trench, the West Pacific, with remarks on Penopus microphthalmus. Ichthyol. Res. 58(3): 232-237.
Other Notes
Penopus macdonaldi is a synonym that was used for W. Atlantic populations.