Species: Lepophidium pheromystax, Upsilon Cusk-eel

Lepophidium pheromystax Robins, 1960

Upsilon Cusk-eel

Elongate, eel-like, tapering at rear to a point at tail; head low, compressed; snout with well developed, curved spine at front, no fringes under tip; eye large; mouth large, broad, nearly horizontal; teeth on jaws small, simple, in bands, outer ones larger; no tooth patch at lower front of gill arches; gill rakers 2 rudiments above, 4 (4-5) developed rakers then 2 (1-3) rudiments below, total 8-9; dorsal and anal fins low, confluent with tail; dorsal fin 127-130 (125-133); anal fin 106-108 (104-112); pectorals on midside, 20-21 (20-22); pelvics each of two small threads inserted under eye; scales round, small, in regular overlapping rows; head extensively covered with overlapping scales extending to between or before eyes, on cheeks and opercle; lateral line complete.

Yellow brown; a black spot on opercle; a black moustache on the lower half of the top jaw bone; inside mouth & gill chamber pale, oesophagus black; body with 2 regular rows of dark spots (largest about eye sized), upper row of ~15 round spots between dorsal fin base and pale lateral line, small spots between those large spots, lower row on flank under lateral line of alternating large and small spots; outer 1/2 of dorsal fin with series of ~19 U-shaped dark spots, with indistinct dark areas between and below those spots; anal fin dusky with black border.

Reaches 28 cm.

On soft bottoms.

Depth range: 27-316 m.

The SW Gulf of Mexico to Brazil.