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Ophidiiformes (Cusk eels) >
Ophidiidae (Cusk-eels) > Ophidiinae
Etymology: Lepophidium: Latin, lepus, leporis = rabbit + Greek, ophis = serpent (Ref. 45335); robustum: Name from the Latin 'robustus' meaning robust, referring to its stout body.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; benthopelagic; depth range 101 - 261 m (Ref. 91765). Tropical; 12°N - 8°N, 83°W - 61°W (Ref. 91765)
Western Atlantic: Caribbean Sea (from western Panama to north of Trinidad).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 23.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 91765)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal soft rays (total): 123 - 126; Anal soft rays: 102 - 107; Vertebrae: 68 - 71. This species is distinguished by the following characters: presence of rudimentary rakers alternating with developed rakers on the lower gill arch (also only for Lepophidium aporrhox); total number of gill raker elements greater than its congeners except L. aporrhox. This species is distinguished from L. apporhox by having 14 precaudal vertebrae (vs. 12-13); 54-56 caudal vertebrae (vs. 49-53); 68-70 total vertebrae (vs. 61-66); 123-126 dorsal rays (vs. 106-115), and 102-107 anal rays (vs. 92-100), and by having a long pelvic ray length as a percentage of standard length (9-10% vs. 13-18% (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): 15.9 - 22.4, mean 20.4 °C (based on 7 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 (18 of 100).