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Ophidiiformes (Cusk eels) >
Ophidiidae (Cusk-eels) > Ophidiinae
Etymology: Lepophidium: Latin, lepus, leporis = rabbit + Greek, ophis = serpent (Ref. 45335); entomelan: Named for the very dark orobranchial region and gut (Greek 'entos' for within and 'melan' for black).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; depth range 55 - 439 m (Ref. 91765). Tropical; 35°N - 10°N, 98°W - 78°W (Ref. 91765)
Western Atlantic: around the Gulf of Mexico and in the western Caribbean Sea from Mexico to Nicaragua.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 25.6 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 91765)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal soft rays (total): 125 - 133; Anal soft rays: 103 - 114; Vertebrae: 71 - 75. This species possess a pigmented gut; it differs from L. inca by the number of anal rays (103-112 vs. 112-121); from L. kallion and L. maroratum by the absence of any pattern of spots, bars, or blotches in the head and body; from L. maroratum by the long pelvic ray length as a percentage of standard length (4-7% vs. 10-14%) and the short pelvic ray length as a percentage of standard length (3-6% vs. 8-12%) (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
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 14.3 - 23.7, mean 19.5 °C (based on 52 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): 3.6 ±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 (21 of 100).