Lamprogrammus niger
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Ophidiiformes (Pearlfishes and others)
Ophidiidae (Cusk-Eels)
Lamprogrammus
Lamprogrammus niger
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Relatively deep bodied and compressed, with a large, cavernous, poorly ossified head; two weak, flat opercular spines; and enlarged lateral line scales covering vertically oriented, spindle-shaped neuromasts. Snout is blunt, short, and does not overhang lower jaw. Mouth is large, moderately oblique, and extends well beyond eye. Villiform, slightly recurved teeth are arranged in bands in jaws, vomer, and palatine. Median basibranchial tooth plate is absent. Eye is rather moderate in size. Branchiostegal rays number 8. Preoperculum has deep notches on posterior margin but lacks flexible spines. First gill arch has 3 or 4 short gill rakers on epibranch and 13 or 14 mostly long and slender gill rakers on lower limb. Head is 17.3% to 20.9%, snout length is 4.9% to 5.9%, eye diameter is 1.8% to 2.3%, predorsal length is 19.5% to 21.6, preanal length is 35.6% to 37.9%, and body depth is 16.1% to 18.4% of SL. Pectoral fin fails to reach vent and has 16 to 19 rays. Dorsal fin originates above pectoral fin base and has 105 to 115 rays. Pelvic fin is lacking in adults and is represented by rudimentary stub in juveniles. Anal fin has 84 to 91 rays, and caudal fin has 8 rays. Body is covered with relatively large, deciduous cycloid scales. Lateral line scales are covered by small scales. Trunk vertebrae number 12 to 14.
Color is blackish brown.
Distribution
In the western Atlantic it occurs in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea from 604 to 2,615 m.
Habitat Associations
Between 800 and 2,615 m; probably circumtropical
Biology
Maximum known size is 550 mm TL.
Small specimens caught in midwater trawls (Ref. 34024). Oviparous, with oval pelagic eggs floating in a gelatinous mass (Ref. 205).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2014-07-09. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from the other species of the family by the combination of characters described.
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: of no interest.
References
Goode and Bean 1896
Cohen and Nielsen 1978
Uyeno et al. 1983
Nielsen and Cohen 1986
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Nielsen, J.G. (1990) Ophidiidae. p. 564-573. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2.
Nielsen, J.G. and D.M. Cohen (1986) Ophidiidae. p. 345-350. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
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.
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