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Teleostei (teleosts) > Ophidiiformes (Cusk eels) > Ophidiidae (Cusk-eels) > Ophidiinae
Etymology: Ophidion: Diminutive of Greek, ophis = serpent (Ref. 45335); imitator: From the latin 'imitor' meaning to mimic or resemble, in reference to its striking resemblance to Lepophidium pardale and, to a lesser degree, Otophidium indefatigabile (Ref. 26886).

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

Marine; demersal; depth range 18 - 112 m (Ref. 26886). Tropical

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

Eastern Central Pacific: off the tip of Baja California and Sinaloa, Mexico to the Gulf of Panama.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 19.1 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26886)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 135 - 163; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 112 - 139; Vertebrae: 70 - 76. Dark brown to black blotching and spotting on head, dorsal, and lateral portion of the body. Scales with anguilliform arrangement on body; ethmoid spine blunt. Pelvic filaments long. Gill rakers numerous. Prejuvenile stage present.

Uncommon species (Ref. 34024). 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

Nielsen, J.G., D.M. Cohen, D.F. Markle and C.R. Robins, 1999. Ophidiiform fishes of the world (Order Ophidiiformes). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of pearlfishes, cusk-eels, brotulas and other ophidiiform fishes known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(18):178p. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 34024)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 23 May 2007

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: of no interest

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Trophic ecology
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Ecology
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Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 18.3 - 26.3, mean 23.4 °C (based on 25 cells).

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

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00257 (0.00122 - 0.00544), b=3.17 (2.98 - 3.36), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.6 ±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 (13 of 100).

Ophidion imitator Lea, 1997