Species: Enchelyopus cimbrius, Fourbeard Rockling

Enchelyopus cimbrius (Linnaeus, 1766)

Fourbeard Rockling

Body cylindrical, elongate, tapering to the tail base; mouth slightly under snout, lower jaw shorter than upper; a barbell at each front nostril, 1 on tip of snout and 1 on chin; dorsal fin in 3 parts: a single long ray above end of operculum, a low fleshy ridge of very short rays in a shallow groove, a long-based section with 45-52 segmented rays; 1 anal fin, long based, 37-41; pectorals well developed; tail fin well developed, rounded; pelvics under edge of operculum, non-filamentous, short, with 5-7 rays.

Olive brown above, with small brown spots, paler below; 3rd dorsal fin with 1-4 elongate black blotches; lower 1/3 of tail fin black; rear of anal fin black. Juveniles silvery.

Reaches 41 cm.

Live on sand and mud bottoms.

Depth range: 20-900 m, mainly below 200 m; juveniles pelagic.

E & W Atlantic; Greenland to the northern Gulf of Mexico.