Parophidion schmidti (Woods & Kanazawa, 1951)
Dusky cusk-eel

Family:  Ophidiidae (Cusk-eels), subfamily: Ophidiinae
Max. size:  10 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  demersal; marine
Distribution:  Western Atlantic: Bermuda, Bahamas and southern Florida (USA) to northern South America.
Diagnosis:  Scales on body in anguilloid pattern, somewhat overlapping, interorbital region scaled, opercle naked, cheeks, top of head forward to centre of interorbital region scaled; ethmoid spine reduced to a low bump; gill chamber and guts pale; no pyloric caeca; males with posterior opening on swim bladder; the two pelvic fin rays equally long or very nearly so (Ref. 34024).
Biology:  Uncommon species (Ref. 34024). Adults occur in shallow coastal waters, usually in turtle grass beds (Ref. 7251). Oviparous, with oval pelagic eggs floating in a gelatinous mass (Ref. 205).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 29 January 2013 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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