Family: BYTHITIDAE, Brotulas

FAMILY BYTHITIDAE

BROTULAS

Brotulas are long slender fishes of small to medium size (5-100 cm); snout blunt, often overhanging mouth; eyes small, sometimes vestigal; front nostril is immediately above the top lip (except in Dinematichthys); teeth on center of roof of mouth, and present or absent on sides; no central tooth patch at bottom of gill arches; a strong opercular spine; seldom more than 7 long gill rakers; no fin spines; dorsal fin long, usually continuous with the caudal and anal fins; dorsal fin rays longer than anal fin rays; pelvic fin absent or with 1-2 rays, fin is a filament inserted under the rear part of the operculum; pectoral on lower half of side; scales small, smooth, almost always present, may be embedded, on body and usually head; brotulas are live bearers and males have an intromittant sex organ.

This circumtropical family contains about 130 species from 38 genera, including some from fresh and brackish waters and others from deep sea habitats. The reef species live deep in cracks and crevices. Brotulas are never seen unless flushed out with chemical fish poisons (used by scientific collectors). Sixteen species in four genera occur in our region, all of them endemics.