Species: Ariosoma balearicum, Bandtooth Conger

Ariosoma balearicum (Delaroche, 1809)

Bandtooth Conger

Body stout; tail 48-51% of TL; 6 pores above eyes, 2 between eyes, 3 behind each eye and 3 on nape; snout round, projecting a little, its length ~equal to large eye; front nostril tubular, forward pointing near tip of snout; rear nostril a small oval hole in front of and a little below middle of eye; both lips with well developed flanges; jaw teeth small, pointed, in bands; teeth at top front of mouth in a patch about as long as broad, indistinctly separated from narrow top jaw tooth band; patch of teeth on roof of mouth reaches back to level of middle of top jaw band; length of gill opening < distance between gill openings under throat; upper edge of gill opening at middle of pectoral fin base; dorsal fin begins over ~gill opening; dorsal and anal fins continuous with the tail fin; tip of tail blunt, stiff, with reduced tail fin; lateral line pores before anus 46-52.

Brown, lower half of flank with silvery to golden reflections; an orange crescent on top of iris; pectoral fin red; margins of vertical fins black.

Reaches 33.6 cm.

Most common on sandy bottoms on the continental shelf.

Depth range: 1-857 m, usually < 100 m.

E & W Atlantic, the Mediterranean, Red Sea and Indian Ocean; N Carolina to Brazil.