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Ophidiiformes (Cusk eels) >
Ophidiidae (Cusk-eels) > Ophidiinae
Etymology: Lepophidium: Latin, lepus, leporis = rabbit + Greek, ophis = serpent (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Cuvier.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; depth range 5 - 115 m (Ref. 91765). Tropical; 36°N - 26°S, 98°W - 43°W (Ref. 91765)
Western Atlantic: widespread along the Atlantic coast of the United States (from North Carolina), through the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, to the coasts of South America (up to Uruguay); apparently absent in the Bahamas.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 28.8 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 128822); common length : 20.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5217)
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 120 - 134; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 99 - 110; Vertebrae: 69 - 74. Rostral spine long and curved, reaching tip of snout, without vertical basal component; peritoneum pale; no median basibranchial tooth patch; head extensively covered with imbricate rows of cycloid scales except for snout and throat; body tapering to point, dagger-shaped (Ref. 34024). Body dark gray or brownish gray without blotches; dorsal and anal fins dark, becoming gradually darker at the extreme blackish edge; pelvic fin blackish in anterior half and pale in posterior half; gill arch blackish or brownish; head covered with scales except for snout, lips, and branchiostegal membrane (Ref. 13608).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated.
Common species (Ref. 34024). Found on soft bottom (Ref. 7251). Oviparous, with oval pelagic eggs floating in a gelatinous mass (Ref. 205).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
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. (Ref. 91765)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial
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