Genus: Brotula, Bearded Cusk-eel, Bearded Cusk-eels

BROTULA

BEARDED CUSK-EELS

Body elongate, relatively deep, compressed, tapering to rear; eye large; front nostril halfway between top lip and rear nostril; snout and lower jaw each with 6 barbels; mouth large; small pointed teeth in bands on jaws and roof of mouth; no tooth patch at lower front of gill arches; operculum with a spine; gill openings large, membranes not joined under throat; pointed tail fin continuous with dorsal and anal; dorsal fin origin before anal fin origin; each pelvic fin is a 2-rayed filament, origin under throat, well behind eye; scales small, smooth, slightly overlapping, on head and completely covering body.

A circumtropical genus with five species; one trans-Atlantic species occurs in the Greater Caribbean.