Lepophidium brevibarbe
Blackedge Cusk-Eel
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Ophidiiformes (Pearlfishes and others)
Ophidiidae (Cusk-Eels)
Lepophidium
Lepophidium brevibarbe (Blackedge Cusk-Eel)
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 slender, compressed posteriorly, and tapering to a pointed caudal fin, with a well-developed, forwardly directed spine on snout and filamentous pelvic fins located beneath eyes. Snout is moderately blunt and slightly overhangs jaws. Mouth is slightly oblique and large; upper jaw extends to near posterior margin of eye. Eye is large. Villiform teeth occur in jaws, vomer, and palatine, with those in outer row of jaws somewhat enlarged. Medial basibranchial tooth plate is absent. First gill arch has four gill rakers on epibranch and seven on lower limb. Operculum has strong spine at dorsoposterior margin hidden by integument. Branchiostegal rays number 7. Head is 19.5% to 20.4%, snout length is 4.3% to 4.9%, eye diameter is 3.6% to 3.7%, predorsal length is 23.6% to 25.3%, preanal length is 36.7% to 46.6%, body depth is 14% to 14.1%, and outer and inner pelvic fin rays are 8% and 4.9% respectively of SL. Pectoral fin is of moderate size. Dorsal fin originates over pectoral fin base and has 126 to 131 rays. Pelvic fin consists of 2 filamentous rays. Anal fin has 103 to 110 rays, and caudal fin has 9 rays. Body and head are covered with small, slightly imbricate scales arranged in regular rows. Vertebrae usually number 71 or 72 and comprise 15 trunk, and 56 or 57 caudal, vertebrae.
Color is tan to sooty brown dorsally and white ventrally, with dorsal fin and occasionally anal fin dark edged.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from southeastern Florida and the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
6 to 90 m depth
Biology
Maximum known size is 260 mm TL.
Spawning occurs during two peaks, summer and fall, and individuals live about two years in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico.
Common species (Ref. 34024). Found on soft bottom (Ref. 7251). Oviparous, with oval pelagic eggs floating in a gelatinous mass (Ref. 205).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2013-01-29. 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: minor commercial.
References
Nichols and Breder 1922
Robins 1959
Hoese and Moore 1977
Uyeno et al. 1983
C. R. Robins et al. 1986
Retzer 1991
Boschung 1992
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Uyeno, T., K. Matsuura and E. Fujii (eds.) (1983) Fishes trawled off Suriname and French Guiana. Japan Marine Fishery Resource Research Center, Tokyo, Japan. 519 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.
Robins, C.R., R.H. Robins and M.E. Brown (2012) A revision of Lepophidium (Teleoastei, Ophidiidae), with descriptions of eight new species. Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History 52(1):1-94.
Chi-Espínola, A.A., M.E. Vega-Cendejas and J.M. Hernández de Santillana (2023) Length-weight relations of 39 continental-shelf and deep-water fishes (Actinopterygii) from northwestern Gulf of México. Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria 53:59-64. DOI: 10.3897/aiep.53.101788
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