Genus: Grammonus, Brotulas, Reef-cave Brotula

GRAMMONUS

BROTULAS

Body and head compressed; body short and stubby; eye small; front nostril is immediately above the top lip; mouth opens at front, oblique; rear of top jawbone vertically expanded, usually with a pointed projection below; jaws with bands of simple teeth; roof of mouth with V shaped band of teeth at front, no teeth at sides of roof of mouth; no central tooth patch at bottom of gill arches; operculum with a short rear spine, preoperculum with two short projections at angle; dorsal and anal fins joined to tail fin; pelvics each reduced to one fine filament inserted under rear part of operculum; lateral line in two or more series of papillae, upper along upper front ¾ of body, lower along midbody from anal fin origin to tail; head and body covered with regularly overlapping scales except top of head and snout; male “penis” without bony accessory organs.

This genus, which occurs in the east and west Atlantic and the western Pacific as well as our region, contains 7 species, one of which is endemic to our region.