Family No. 96: OPHIDIIDAE
by J.G. Nielsen & D.M . Cohen
Cuskeels
Kuskpalings
Body more or less elongate. Dorsal and anal fins longbased, joined to caudal fin. Ventral fins absent or of lor 2
slender rays. Scales small and cycloid. Gi11-rakers on first
arch 3 or more (usually 7 or more) .
Unlike the related Bythitidae, ophidiids are all oviparous; fertilisation occurs outside the body of the female, so
males do not have a specialised copulatory organ. About 39
genera (19 from our area) with 135 described species and
many more un-named ones. Formerly included in the
families Brotulidae and Ophidiidae. The genera have been
reviewed by Cohen & Nielsen (1978). Sizes range from 15
cm in some shallow water forms to benthopelagic deep-sea
species reaching a metre or more.
KEY TO GENERA
la Barbels present on snout and chin ........... . .... Brotula
1 b No barbels on snout or chin ............... .. ....... 2
2a V present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2b V absent (in adults) . ............................ 3
3a P reaching nearly to vent ; skin on head thin, the
fragile head bones usually exposed . . . . . . . .. Lamprogrammus
3b P falling far short of vent; skin on head thick ..... Brotulotaenia
4a V far forward, under eyes .............. . .. . ....... S
4b V farther back, behind eyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Sa Rear margin of preopercle with 3 strong spines . . . . Hoplobrotula
Sb Preopercle smooth , no spines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
6a Scales on body set at oblique angles . . . . . . . . . . . .. Ophidion
6b Scales on body in regular rows . .... . . ........ Genypterus
7a GR on 1st arch 3 . ..... ... . .... . . .. . .. .. Luciobrotula
7b GR on 1st arch 7 or more .......... . ........... . ... 8
8a Body long and slender; depth at vent 10 or more in SL . . . . . . . 9
8b Body shorter; depth at vent less than 10 in SL ...... . . ... 11
9a Snout long, projecting over mouth; upper spine on
opercle curved ....................... . ... Penopus
9b Mouth terminal or nearly so; upper opercular spine
straight or absent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 10
lOa Prays 23-31 ..... . .... . .... . ... . . . . . .... Bassozetus
lOb Prays 16-20 . . ..... . .......... . ......... Porogadus
l1a Ends of V rays rather flattened . . . . . . . . . . . Holcomycteronus
lib Ends of V rays rounded orfilamentous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 12
12a Lower P rays separate from each other . . . . . . . . . . . Dicrolene
12b All P rays joined by membrane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 13
13a Jaw teeth needle-like and separate from each
other .... . . .......... . ............ . .. Epetriodus
13b Jaw teeth tiny, granular and close-set ................. 14
14a Head length more than twice in preanal
distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spectrunculus
14b Head length 2 or less in preanal distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 15
96: OPHIDIIDAE (CUSKEELS)
15a P more than 2 in head length . .. .... . . . . . .. . .. . . ... 16
ISb P less than 2 in head length ........ . ... . .. . ....... 17
16a GR on 1st arch 7-9 . .. ...... .. . .. . . ........ Bassogigas
16b GR on 1st arch 13-27 . . . ................. Monomitopus
17a Eye equal to or slightly shorter than snout . . . . . . .. Neobythites
17b Eye definitely larger than snout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 18
18a Mouth terminal; P reaching beyond level of
vent ... . . . ..... . .................. Glyptophidium
18b Mouth inferior, beneath inflated snout; P falling
well short of vent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Selachophidium
Genus Bassogigas Goode & Bean, 1896
Median basibranchial tooth patches 2; vomer tooth patch
V-shaped; opercular spine strong. Monotypic?
96.1 Bassogigas ? gillii
Goode & Bean, 1896
Bassogigas gillii Goode & Bean, 1896: 328, PI. 83 , Fig. 291 (off Delaware , U.S.A.) . Bassogigas sp. Cohen, 1981: 1086 (Agulhas Bank) .
D 106; A 84; P 28; V 2; developed GR 7. Distinct dorsal LL.
Attains 85 cm. One specimen recorded from the area. It
is still unsettled whether this specimen and 1 from off
Madagascar are conspecific with northwest Atlantic specimens. Known from deep bathyal and abyssal depths.
96.1 Bassagigas gillii: 44.5 cm SL (after Goode & Bean. 1896).
Genus Bassozetus Gill, 1884
Preopercle unarmed and posteriorly expanded. Ten
species; 1 in our area.
96.2 Bassozetus robustus
Smith & Radcliffe, 1913
Bassozetus robustus Smith & Radcliffe , in Radcliffe, 1913: 156, PI. 11 ,
Fig. 3 (Palawan Passage , Philippines); Shcherbachev, 1980: 122.
D 116-123; A 94-102; P 25-30; V 1; developed GR 11-15 ; I median
basibranchial tooth patch . Body tapering. Opercular spine weak .
Attains about 60 cm. One specimen from off Natal;
known from a few specimens from Philippines to Africa in
depths of 1390 - 2 350 m.
96.2 Bassazetus rabustus: 36 cm holotype (after Radcliffe, 1913).
345
by J.G. Nielsen & D.M . Cohen
Cuskeels
Kuskpalings
Body more or less elongate. Dorsal and anal fins longbased, joined to caudal fin. Ventral fins absent or of lor 2
slender rays. Scales small and cycloid. Gi11-rakers on first
arch 3 or more (usually 7 or more) .
Unlike the related Bythitidae, ophidiids are all oviparous; fertilisation occurs outside the body of the female, so
males do not have a specialised copulatory organ. About 39
genera (19 from our area) with 135 described species and
many more un-named ones. Formerly included in the
families Brotulidae and Ophidiidae. The genera have been
reviewed by Cohen & Nielsen (1978). Sizes range from 15
cm in some shallow water forms to benthopelagic deep-sea
species reaching a metre or more.
KEY TO GENERA
la Barbels present on snout and chin ........... . .... Brotula
1 b No barbels on snout or chin ............... .. ....... 2
2a V present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2b V absent (in adults) . ............................ 3
3a P reaching nearly to vent ; skin on head thin, the
fragile head bones usually exposed . . . . . . . .. Lamprogrammus
3b P falling far short of vent; skin on head thick ..... Brotulotaenia
4a V far forward, under eyes .............. . .. . ....... S
4b V farther back, behind eyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Sa Rear margin of preopercle with 3 strong spines . . . . Hoplobrotula
Sb Preopercle smooth , no spines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
6a Scales on body set at oblique angles . . . . . . . . . . . .. Ophidion
6b Scales on body in regular rows . .... . . ........ Genypterus
7a GR on 1st arch 3 . ..... ... . .... . . .. . .. .. Luciobrotula
7b GR on 1st arch 7 or more .......... . ........... . ... 8
8a Body long and slender; depth at vent 10 or more in SL . . . . . . . 9
8b Body shorter; depth at vent less than 10 in SL ...... . . ... 11
9a Snout long, projecting over mouth; upper spine on
opercle curved ....................... . ... Penopus
9b Mouth terminal or nearly so; upper opercular spine
straight or absent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 10
lOa Prays 23-31 ..... . .... . .... . ... . . . . . .... Bassozetus
lOb Prays 16-20 . . ..... . .......... . ......... Porogadus
l1a Ends of V rays rather flattened . . . . . . . . . . . Holcomycteronus
lib Ends of V rays rounded orfilamentous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 12
12a Lower P rays separate from each other . . . . . . . . . . . Dicrolene
12b All P rays joined by membrane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 13
13a Jaw teeth needle-like and separate from each
other .... . . .......... . ............ . .. Epetriodus
13b Jaw teeth tiny, granular and close-set ................. 14
14a Head length more than twice in preanal
distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spectrunculus
14b Head length 2 or less in preanal distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 15
96: OPHIDIIDAE (CUSKEELS)
15a P more than 2 in head length . .. .... . . . . . .. . .. . . ... 16
ISb P less than 2 in head length ........ . ... . .. . ....... 17
16a GR on 1st arch 7-9 . .. ...... .. . .. . . ........ Bassogigas
16b GR on 1st arch 13-27 . . . ................. Monomitopus
17a Eye equal to or slightly shorter than snout . . . . . . .. Neobythites
17b Eye definitely larger than snout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 18
18a Mouth terminal; P reaching beyond level of
vent ... . . . ..... . .................. Glyptophidium
18b Mouth inferior, beneath inflated snout; P falling
well short of vent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Selachophidium
Genus Bassogigas Goode & Bean, 1896
Median basibranchial tooth patches 2; vomer tooth patch
V-shaped; opercular spine strong. Monotypic?
96.1 Bassogigas ? gillii
Goode & Bean, 1896
Bassogigas gillii Goode & Bean, 1896: 328, PI. 83 , Fig. 291 (off Delaware , U.S.A.) . Bassogigas sp. Cohen, 1981: 1086 (Agulhas Bank) .
D 106; A 84; P 28; V 2; developed GR 7. Distinct dorsal LL.
Attains 85 cm. One specimen recorded from the area. It
is still unsettled whether this specimen and 1 from off
Madagascar are conspecific with northwest Atlantic specimens. Known from deep bathyal and abyssal depths.
96.1 Bassagigas gillii: 44.5 cm SL (after Goode & Bean. 1896).
Genus Bassozetus Gill, 1884
Preopercle unarmed and posteriorly expanded. Ten
species; 1 in our area.
96.2 Bassozetus robustus
Smith & Radcliffe, 1913
Bassozetus robustus Smith & Radcliffe , in Radcliffe, 1913: 156, PI. 11 ,
Fig. 3 (Palawan Passage , Philippines); Shcherbachev, 1980: 122.
D 116-123; A 94-102; P 25-30; V 1; developed GR 11-15 ; I median
basibranchial tooth patch . Body tapering. Opercular spine weak .
Attains about 60 cm. One specimen from off Natal;
known from a few specimens from Philippines to Africa in
depths of 1390 - 2 350 m.
96.2 Bassazetus rabustus: 36 cm holotype (after Radcliffe, 1913).
345