Lepophidium jeannae
Mottled Cusk-Eel
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
There are no photos available for this taxon yet.
Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Ophidiiformes (Pearlfishes and others)
Ophidiidae (Cusk-Eels)
Lepophidium
Lepophidium jeannae (Mottled 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.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
When citing, please reference the original source rather than this page.
Learn more about our species accounts.
Characters
Relatively slender, posteriorly compressed, tapering to a pointed caudal fin; well-developed, forwardly directed spine on snout; snout moderately blunt, extending slightly beyond upper jaw; mouth slightly oblique and large; upper jaw extends to near posterior margin of eye; villiform teeth in jaws, vomer, and palatine; medial basibranchial tooth plate absent; first gill arch with two rudiments on epibranch and four gill rakers plus two or three rudiments on lower limb; operculum with strong spine at dorsoposterior margin hidden by integument; 7 branchiostegal rays; head 21%, snout length 5%, orbit length 5%, predorsal length 21% to 23%, preanal length 36% to 39%, body depth at anal fin origin 10%, outer and inner pelvic rays 8% to 11% and 6% to 8% respectively of SL; pectoral fin moderate size with 20 or 21 rays; dorsal fin with 135 to 139 rays; pelvic fin with 2 filamentous rays of unequal length under eye; anal fin with 112 to 116 rays; caudal fin with 9 rays; body and head covered with small, slightly imbricate scales; 3 pyloric caecae; trunk vertebrae 14 or 15; caudal vertebrae 59 or 60
Pale with numerous irregular dusky spots on upper two-thirds of body; most spots smaller than pupil of eye; dorsal fin margin alternating dark and pale with dark blotches extending to near fin base; anal fin dusky with black border; caudal fin dark along outer rays and pale along middle rays
Distribution
Western Atlantic from North Carolina to southern Florida and the Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
18 to 90 m, rare to 280 m
Biology
300 mm TL
Uncommon species (Ref. 34024). Reported to reach 280 m depth (Ref. 7251). 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 2013-01-29. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters described
References
Robins 1959
Robins 1960
Hoese and Moore 1977
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.
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.
Comments On Lepophidium jeannae