| Striped cusk-eel | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Ophidiiformes |
| Family: | Ophidiidae |
| Genus: | Ophidion |
| Species: | O. marginatum |
| Binomial name | |
| Ophidion marginatum DeKay, 1842 | |
| Synonyms | |
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The striped cusk-eel (Ophidion marginatum) is a species of fish in the family Ophidiidae. It is found in the northwest Atlantic.
The striped cusk-eel is named as such due to its lateral line, which stops before the base of the tail and has a noticeably different shade than the rest of its body, which is a gray-green shade.
This species has an elongated, laterally compressed body with the profile of the head being almost straight from the tip of the moderately pointed snout to behind its eye. The snout just points beyond the mouth and has a spine projecting down near its tip. The male has a prominent crest on the nape. The dorsal and anal fins are joined to the caudal fin. The dorsal fin has 147–158 rays, the anal fin 118–124 rays and each pelvic fin has two rays of unequal length and inserted under eye. The scales are smooth and elongated, they do not overlap and there are none on the head. It is grey-green above, golden on the flanks and white below; there are 2–3 dark stripes along the entire length of the body with one along the lateral line. The side of head has brown spots, the dorsal is fin pale green with a black margin and the anal fin also has a black margin. [2]
It can grow up to 25 centimetres (9.8 in) long. [3]
The striped cusk eel occurs from the northern Atlantic waters off the United States, ranging from New England to northeastern Florida. [1] Larvae occupy the continental shelf of the United States, while a mixture of larvae and juveniles have been reported to occur in estuaries from Barnegat to Chesapeake Bay.
The stripe cusk-eel is a benthic species which burrows tail first into soft substrates such as sand or mud. They remain hidden during the day and come out of their burrows at night to hunt. They occur in inshore waters in Spring and Fall but their wintering habits are little known, they may move offshore or they may be inactive and remain buried in the substrate. [4] They feed on small crustaceans and fishes smaller than themselves. [5]
The swim bladder, anterior vertebrae and the dorsal cranial muscles have been modified to form a drum like sound generator, this is sexually dimorphic with the apparatus being different in each sex. Older juvenile and adult males show a lump on the head caused by hypertrophy of the muscles used to make the drumming sounds they use in courtship. Spawning for the striped cusk eel begins in the summer. Courting and spawning rituals include the creation of sound and close, synchronized movements from a breeding pair. Females can release small containers of eggs nightly for up to two months after the breeding process has finished. [4]
Slimeheads, also known as roughies and redfish, are mostly small, exceptionally long-lived, deep-sea beryciform fish constituting the family Trachichthyidae. Found in temperate to tropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, the family comprises about 50 species in eight genera. Slimeheads are named for the network of muciferous canals riddling their heads.
The Australian herring, also known as the ruff, tommy ruff, or Australian ruff, is one of four Australasian fish species within the genus Arripis. It closely resembles its sister species, the Australian salmon, although it grows to a smaller size. Like the other members of its genus, it is found in cooler waters around the southern coast of Australia. It is not biologically related to the herring family Clupeidae.
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, however, 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.
The serpent eel or sand snake-eel is an eel found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, western Mediterranean Sea, western Indian Ocean, western Pacific Ocean and the north-east and west coast of North Island in New Zealand. It is an elongated, slender fish with a length of up to 250 centimetres. It spends the day with its body immersed in the sediment, emerging into the open water at night.
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The zig-zag eel, also known as the tire-track eel, tire-track spiny eel or marbled spiny eel, is a species of ray-finned, spiny eels belonging to the genus Mastacembelus of the family Mastacembelidae, and is native to the riverine fauna of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia. The species was described as Macrognathus armatus by Lacepède in 1800. Other common names for this popular aquarium species are leopard spiny eel and white-spotted spiny eel. This species is not only a popular aquarium fish but also as a food fish in its country of origin.
Cephalopholis fulva, the coney or the butterfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is in the family Serranidae which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the western Atlantic. It is associated with reefs and is a quarry species for commercial and recreational fisheries. It can be found in the aquarium trade.
The sailfin snapper, blue-lined sea bream or blue-lined sea perch is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is native to the Indo-Pacific region. It is of minor importance to local commercial fisheries and can be found in the aquarium trade. It is currently the only known member of its genus.
Anchoa hepsetus, commonly known as the broad-striped anchovy, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Engraulidae. It grows to be about 15 cm (6 in) long. The broad-striped anchovy is found in the west Atlantic along the North American coast from Nova Scotia and the Maine coast scarcely, and abundantly from the Chesapeake bay to the West Indies and Uruguay. It is found most commonly in shoals along coastal waters, as deep as 73 m although mostly found water more shallow than this. The broad-striped anchovy spawns in spring. Their eggs are pelagic and hatch within 48 hours at regular spring temperatures. At young ages, it eats copepods, but as the fish ages, its diet begins to consist of other small crustaceans, molluscs, and worm larvae. It is an important food staple for large commercial fishes, such as the American seatrout. It is commonly eaten by birds. It is elongate with large eyes and protuberant snout, large mouth and underslung jaw. Its anal fin is quite short and its front fin lies beneath the end of the dorsal fin. It is grey-green with black dots, but its notable feature is its silvery stripe from head to tail.
The longnose shiner is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Notropis.
Vinciguerria lucetia is a species of marine ray-finned fish in the genus Vinciguerria known by the common name Panama lightfish. It is a small bioluminescent fish, with two rows of tiny photophores along its body. It is very abundant in the tropical Indo-Pacific where it makes large vertical migrations each day.
Upeneichthys vlamingii, the blue-spotted goatfish, southern goatfish, black-striped goatfish, blue-striped red mullet, southern red mullet or western red mullet, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a goatfish from the family Mullidae native to the coast of southern Australia.
Blennophis striatus, the Striped klipfish, is a species of clinid found in the subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean from Saldanha Bay to East London, South Africa where it can be found in the subtidal zone as well as inhabiting tidepools. This species can reach a maximum length of 17.5 centimetres (6.9 in) TL.
Anchoa mitchilli is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Engraulidae, the anchovies. Its common names include bay anchovy and common anchovy. It is native to the western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. It is one of the most common fish species along the coastlines of the western Atlantic.
Ophidion is a genus of cusk-eels.
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 blue blanquillo, Malacanthus latovittatus, also known as the banded blanquillo, striped blanquillo, false whiting, sand tilefish or eye of the sea, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific.
The banded rudderfish, also known as the slender amberjack, banded mackerel or shark pilot, is a species of ray-finned fish from the family Carangidae, the jacks and pompanos from the western Atlantic Ocean.
Decodon puellaris, the red hogfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish from the family Labridae, the wrasses, from the western Atlantic Ocean.
