Species: Ophidion nocomis, Letter Opener, Letter Opener Cusk-eel

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.