| Pacific bearded brotula | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Ophidiiformes |
| Family: | Ophidiidae |
| Genus: | Brotula |
| Species: | B. clarkae |
| Binomial name | |
| Brotula clarkae Hubbs, 1944 | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
The Pacific bearded brotula (Brotula clarkae) also known as the pink bearded cusk-eel or the red bearded cusk-eel is a species of cusk eel found in the Pacific Ocean. It is described as being reddish-brown with dark fins.
It averages around 45 cm (18 in), the largest specimen measured 115 cm (45 in). It contains around 108–118 dorsal soft rays, 27–28 pectoral rays and 78–89 analsoft rays. They also have 55–56 vertebrae. [3]
The Pacific bearded brotula is widespread in the eastern Pacific Ocean, ranging from the Gulf of California in the north to northern Peru in the south. This range includes the eastern coasts of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and southern California, United States. Mature fish are benthopelagic and may be found at depths of up to 650 m (2,130 ft) below the surface, however, they are most commonly found in the range of 40–75 m (131–246 ft). Juveniles are commonly found on reefs. [1] [3]
They are oviparous and characterized by larvae in midwater that are late post-flexion and transition stage. [4]
Ophidiiformes is an order of ray-finned fish that includes the cusk-eels, pearlfishes, viviparous brotulas, and others. Members of this order have small heads and long slender bodies. They have either smooth scales or no scales, a long dorsal fin and an anal fin that typically runs into the caudal fin. They mostly come from the tropics and subtropics, and live in both freshwater and marine habitats, including abyssal depths. They have adopted a range of feeding methods and lifestyles, including parasitism. The majority are egg-laying, but some are viviparous.
The cusk-eel family, Ophidiidae, is a group of marine bony fishes in the Ophidiiformes order. The scientific name is from the Greek ophis meaning "snake", and refers to their eel-like appearance. True eels diverged from other ray-finned fish during the Jurassic, while cusk-eels are part of the Percomorpha clade, along with tuna, perch, seahorses and others.
Lucifuga is a genus of viviparous brotulas. Most of the species are native to caves and sinkholes in Cuba and the Bahamas; L. inopinata from deep water off the Galápagos Islands is the only exception. The four species rated by the IUCN are all considered vulnerable. The largest species in the genus reaches about 15 cm (5.9 in) in length.
Citharichthys gilberti, the bigmouth sanddab, is a species of flatfish in the large-tooth flounder family Paralichthyidae. It is native to the eastern Pacific Ocean, in tropical waters ranging from the Gulf of California in the north to Peru in the south. It occurs in shallow waters off the coast, to a maximum depth of 36 m (118 ft).
The ocean whitefish, also known as the ocean tilefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It is native to the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Brotula is a genus of cusk-eels. It is the only genus in the subfamily Brotulinae.
Otophidium is a genus of cusk-eels, part of the subfamily Ophidiinae in the family Ophidiidae. They are found in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific.
Parophidion is a genus of cusk-eels found in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
The barbed brotula is a species of cusk-eel found in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans off of the southern coast of Africa where it is found at depths of from 200 to 980 metres. This species grows to a length of 30 centimetres (12 in) TL. This species is one of two member of its genus, the other being Selachophidium americanum. The barbed brotula has been found to have an ossified swelling of bone in the back of the skull that is connected to the pectoral girdle, vertebral column, and gas bladder via soft tissue.
The faceless cusk is a species of cusk-eel. It is the only species of the monotypic genus Typhlonus. It is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans at depths from about 3,935 to 5,100 m. This species grows to 46.5 cm (18.3 in) in standard length.
The band cusk-eel is a fish species in the family Ophidiidae. Widespread in the Western Atlantic from North Carolina, United States, and northern Gulf of Mexico to southeastern Brazil. Absent from The Bahamas. Marine reef-associated tropical demersal fish, up to 30 cm (12 in) long.
The Gilbert's garden eel, also known as the Gilbert's conger and the sharpnose conger, is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by James Douglas Ogilby in 1898, originally under the genus Congrellus. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including the Gulf of California, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Colombia. It is a benthic and nocturnal species, and inhabits sand flats in reefs, bays and coves at a depth range of 1–100 metres. It burrows into sand during the day and emerges to forage during the night. Males can reach a maximum total length of 27 centimetres.
The yellow snake eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by David Starr Jordan and Charles Henry Gilbert in 1882. It is a marine, subtropical eel known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and the United States. It dwells at a depth range of 1 to 110 m, and forms burrows in rocky and sandy regions. Males can reach a maximum total length of 98 cm (39 in), but more commonly reach a length of 50 cm (20 in).
Bidenichthys beeblebroxi is a species of common reef fish of the family Bythitidae. The species is found in the coastal waters off North Island and northern South Island, New Zealand. It is a common, uniformly gray-brown fish, ranging from SL 6.5–9.5 centimetres long in one study, found in holes beneath rocks and boulders in kelp forest and other reef habitats from the surface down to depths of 30 metres (98 ft). The species was described by Chris D. Paulin in 1995. IUCN and the Catalog of Fishes consider it a synonym of Bidenichthys consobrinus.
Stegastes acapulcoensis, commonly called the Acapulco major, the Acapulco damselfish, or the Acapulco gregory, is a species of damselfish of the family Pomacentridae. It is native to the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Brotulotaenia brevicauda is a benthopelagic marine fish species in the family Ophidiidae. This totally black fish is usually found in the Atlantic Ocean but it has also been reported in the Indian. B. brevicauda lives in deep water and grows up to 32 cm in length. It is also occasionally known as the Short-tail cusk-eel.
Brotula barbata, commonly known as the bearded brotula, Atlantic bearded brotula, or sugarfish, is a species of cusk-eel in the genus Brotula. It lives in the Atlantic Ocean, in depths of up to 300 meters. Its coloring ranges from olive-brown to red-brown, and it grows up to be around 50 centimeters. It has a carnivorous diet, and it is oviparous.
Brotula barbata, commonly known as the goatsbeard brotula, is a species of cusk-eel in the genus Brotula. It lives in the Indo-Pacific, in depths of up to 300 meters. It is dark brown with a submarginal black band and narrow white border on the dorsal and anal fins versus greenish to orange brown with orange-bordered dorsal and anal fins, and it grows up to be around 100 centimeters. It has a carnivorous diet, and it is oviparous.
The cuskpout is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Derepodichthys and is found in the eastern North Pacific Ocean.
Brotula ordwayi is a species from the genus Brotula. The genus Brotula comes from the family Ophidiidae. Their body is a dark shade of green and brown spots. Their fins are green with brown on the ends. The eye color of the Brotula ordwayi is brown. Their body has a length of about 20 inches and is not recorded to surpass this.
