Species: Ophidion nocomis, Letter Opener, Letter Opener Cusk-eel
A 132 = 139

Ophidion nocomis Robins & Bohlke, 1959
Letter Opener, Letter Opener Cusk-eel
Elongate, compressed; head compressed; snout with a small backward pointing spine behind a larger finger-shaped spine projecting down and forwards; only a short notch below front nostril; front pore above eye over rear of eyeball; teeth on sides of roof of mouth in 1 row; gill rakers: 2 upper rudiments, 4-5 developed lower rakers; operculum with a strong, hidden spine; dorsal and anal fins continuous with tail; dorsal fin 144-153; anal fin 132-139; pelvic fins (each with 2 rays of unequal length) inserted under eye; scales smooth, elongate, not overlapping, at right angles rather than regular series, none on head; lateral line along most of body.
Pale throughout; large fish with a few dark dots on mid-flank and a few dark dots on top of skull and behind that on midline; iris, gill chamber and peritoneum silvery.
Reaches 8.7 cm.
Benthic on sand bottoms with patches of turtle grass, and adjacent to reefs.
Depth range: 1-22 m.
The Bahamas to the SE Caribbean.

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- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Soft bottom only
- Submerged vegetation
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Data
- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- GC endemic
- Island (s)
- Island (s) only
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 8.7
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 22