Brosmophycis marginata
Red Brotula
NS
GNR
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Ophidiiformes (Pearlfishes and others)
Bythitidae (Viviparous Brotulas)
Brosmophycis
Brosmophycis marginata (Red Brotula)
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: elongated. Dorsal fin base covered with loose skin; caudal small and rounded; anal fin base covered with skin; pectorals rounded, almost pedunculate; two pelvic fin rays, outer ray of pelvic fins long, slender and filamentous, twice the length of inner ray (Ref. 6885). Bright red to brown on dorsal surface, nearly white on ventral surface of the body; pale red on ventral surface of head; margins of dorsal and anal fins red; bright red on caudal and pectoral fins; lips pink; mucus secretion reddish (Ref. 6885). Branchiostegal rays: 7 (Ref. 36488).
Distribution
Eastern Pacific: Petersburg, southeastern Alaska to Ensenada, northern Baja California, Mexico.
Habitat Associations
Marine. demersal. depth range 3-256 m.
Biology
A common cryptic species (Ref. 34024). Found in rocky areas (Ref. 2850). Live-bearers with planktonic larvae (Ref. 36488). Flesh considered sweet and fine-textured but rarely available (Ref. 27436).
Max length: 46.0 cm TL.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: internal (oviduct); bearers (internal live bearers). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 205).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2019-08-16. Resilience: Medium (Fec=200).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: public aquariums.
References
Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H. Hammann (1983) A field guide to Pacific coast fishes of North America. Boston (MA, USA): Houghton Mifflin Company. xii+336 p.
Hart, J.L. (1973) Pacific fishes of Canada. Bull. Fish. Res. Board Can. 180:740 p.
Lamb, A. and P. Edgell (1986) Coastal fishes of the Pacific northwest. Madeira Park, (BC, Canada): Harbour Publishing Co. Ltd., 224 p.
Nielsen, J.G., D.M. Cohen, D.F. Markle and C.R. Robins (1999) Ophidiiform fishes of the world (Order Ophidiiformes). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of pearlfishes, cusk-eels, brotulas and other ophidiiform fishes known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(18):178p. Rome: FAO.
Ambrose, D.A. (1996) Bythitidae: brotulas. p. 538-545. In H.G. Moser (ed.) The early stages of fishes in the California Current region. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) Atlas No. 33. 1505p.
Comments On Brosmophycis marginata