Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Ophidiiformes (Cusk eels) > Ophidiidae (Cusk-eels) > Ophidiinae
Etymology: Ophidion: Diminutive of Greek, ophis = serpent (Ref. 45335); dromio: Named for Dromio (The Comedy of Errors); noun in apposition.
Eponymy: In Shakespeare’s play: The Comedy of Errors, the identities of the brothers Dromio were confused throughout the play. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on authors: Lea & Robins.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; benthopelagic; depth range 51 - 183 m (Ref. 81834), usually ? - 100 m (Ref. 81834). Subtropical

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Western Atlantic: USA. off Colombia, Venezuela and Guyana.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 14.6 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 81834)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal soft rays (total): 116 - 129; Anal soft rays: 92 - 102; Vertebrae: 67 - 69. This species is characterized by the following features: D 116-129 (usually 119-125); A 92-102 (usually 98-100); pectoral fin rays 19-21 (rarely 20); precaudal vertebrae 16-17 (usually 17); caudal vertebrae 50-52 (usually 51), total vertebrae 67-69 (usually 68); gill rakers on first gill arch with 2 rudiments above, 4 developed but short gill rakers below; short, blunt and bulbous head; dorsal tissue of head usually flaccid, inflated; subterminal mouth; dorsal and ventral profiles of body nearly parallel for much of its length; unmarked body; short and unequal pelvic-fin rays, longer reaching under anterior third of opercle (Ref. 81834).

Occurs over sand and mud bottom (Ref. 81834). Reproductive strategy possibly similar to other members of this family featuring oviparity, with oval pelagic eggs floating in a gelatinous mass (Ref. 205).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Lea, R.N. and C.R. Robins, 2003. Four new species of the genus Ophidion (Pisces: Ophidiidae) from the western Atlantic Ocean. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History, Scientific Papers No. 31:1-9. (Ref. 81834)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 29 January 2013

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators

Ecology
Ecology

Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance

Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
Spawning
Spawning aggregations
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics

Distribution
Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
BRUVS - Videos

Anatomy
Gill area
Brain
Otolith

Physiology
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)

Genetics
Genetics
Heterozygosity
Heritability

Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.

Outreach
Collaborators

Taxonomy
Common names
Synonyms
Morphology
Morphometrics
Pictures

References
References

Tools

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

Download XML

Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 17.5 - 26.5, mean 23 °C (based on 70 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00102 (0.00046 - 0.00225), b=3.06 (2.88 - 3.24), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.5 ±0.7 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives

Resilience (Ref. 120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).

Ophidion dromio Lea & Robins, 2003