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Ophidiiformes (Cusk eels) >
Ophidiidae (Cusk-eels) > Ophidiinae
Etymology: Lepophidium: Latin, lepus, leporis = rabbit + Greek, ophis = serpent (Ref. 45335); cultratum: Name from the Latin 'cultratus', meaning knife-shaped.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; benthopelagic; depth range 91 - 329 m (Ref. 91765). Tropical; 18°N - 5°N, 85°W - 50°W (Ref. 91765)
Western Atlantic: southern Caribbean Sea from eastern Honduras and southern Nicaragua to French Guiana.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 30.8 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 91765)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal soft rays (total): 128 - 137; Anal soft rays: 105 - 112; Vertebrae: 70 - 74. This species is characterized by the following: head and body without pattern; differs L. crossotum, L. kallion, and L. wileyi in lacking a fringed snout; no large spot in the dorsal fin; lacks the distally expanded anterior rib or haltere (?) in males (Ref. 91765).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Robins, C.R., R.H. Robins and M.E. Brown, 2012. A revision of Lepophidium (Teleoastei, Ophidiidae), with descriptions of eight new species. Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History 52(1):1-94. (Ref. 91765)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 13.4 - 22.1, mean 19.1 °C (based on 19 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 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): 3.7 ±0.7 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low to moderate vulnerability (28 of 100).