Common names from other countries
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Ophidiiformes (Cusk eels) >
Ophidiidae (Cusk-eels) > Ophidiinae
Etymology: Lepophidium: Latin, lepus, leporis = rabbit + Greek, ophis = serpent (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Robins.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; depth range 27 - 165 m (Ref. 91765). Tropical; 21°N - 2°N, 97°W - 49°W (Ref. 91765)
Western Atlantic: along the northern coast of South America from Colombia to Cabo Orange, Brazil (north of the mouth of the Amazon); including Gulf of Campeche, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, shelf area from northern Puerto Rico to the US Virgin Islands.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 27.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 91765); common length : 18.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5217)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 127 - 130; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 104 - 112; Vertebrae: 69 - 72. This species is characterized by the following: usual number of vertebrae, precaudal 15 (14), caudal 56-57 (54-58), total 71-72 (69-72); fin rays, dorsal 127-130 (125-133), anal 106-108 (104-112) pectoral 20-21 (22); pyloric caeca usually 3 (1-4), most often with 2 in one tier and 1 in second, when 4, they are 3+1; first gill arch with rudimentary rakers 2 on the upper arm, 4 (rarely 5) developed rakers on the lower limb, usually 2 (1-3) rudimentary rakers anteriorly on the first arch; total rakers usually 8-9; dorsal-fin origin between neural spines 2-3 (18 specimens) or 3-4 (11 specimens), in most instances is almost directly over neural spine 3 (Ref. 91765).
Common species (Ref. 34024). Found on the continental shelf, on soft bottom (Ref. 5217). Oviparous, with oval pelagic eggs floating in a gelatinous mass (Ref. 205).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | 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)
CITES (Ref. 128078)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Tools
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
115969): 21.7 - 27.1, mean 25.6 (based on 64 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00234 (0.00101 - 0.00543), b=3.16 (2.98 - 3.34), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.6 ±0.7 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (23 of 100).