51: NEMICHTHYIDAE (SNIPE EELS)
51.3 Nemichthys curvirostris: 20 em female; head of mature male.
51.3 Nemichthys curvirostris
(Stromman, 1896)
Leptocephalus curvirostris Stromman, 1896: 41, PI. 5, Fig. 1-2 (larva,
western North Atlantic). Nemichthys scolopacea (non Richardson):
Smith, SFSA No. 1107* (in part); Castle, 1969: 37. Nemichthys curvirostris: Nielsen & Smith, 1978: 47*.
Colour generally pale with black lines between vertebrae. Attains ca. 140 cm (females). Known off the Cape;
also widely in the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific.
51.4 Nemichthys scolopaceus
Richardson, 1848
Nemichthys scolopacea Richardson, 1848: 25, PI. 10, Fig. 1-3 (off
Brazil); Smith, SFSA No. 1107 (in part); Nielsen & Smith, 1978: 38*.
Colour dark brown or grey, often darker ventrally. Vertebrae as many as 750. Attains ca. 120 cm. Known off the
Cape to Natal; also very widely in all oceans.
51.4 Nemichthys scolopaceus: top: 50 em female; bottom: 46 em male (after Nielsen & Smith, 1978).
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