Teleostei (teleosts) >
Ophidiiformes (Cusk eels) >
Ophidiidae (Cusk-eels) > Neobythitinae
Etymology: Pycnocraspedum: Greek, pyknos = dense + Greek, kraspedon = border (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Alcock.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; benthopelagic; depth range 200 - 500 m (Ref. 31524). Deep-water
Indo-West Pacific: off East Africa to New Caledonia.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 29.9 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 124036)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal soft rays (total): 63 - 92; Anal soft rays: 54 - 79; Vertebrae: 47 - 49. A deep bodied cusk eel distinguished by the following characters: head 3.0-3.9 times in SL; eye diameter 5.5-6.8 in HL; interorbital 4.8-6.3 in HL; snout 3.8-5.2 in HL; depth 4.3-6.8 in SL; predorsal length 3.3-4.7 in SL, with distance between pelvic origin to anal origin 2.5-4.4 in SL; absence of pseudobranchiae; pyloric caeca 12-13; median basibranchial tooth patches 2; one opercular spine and 3 short blunt spines at the lower angle of preopercle; differs from its congeners in origin of dorsal fin which is above preopercle, no pseudobranchial filaments, pectoral fins and pelvic fins are short and not reaching anus (Ref. 124036)
Body shape (shape guide): elongated; Cross section: compressed.
A benthic species found on the continental slope (Ref. 75154). Uncommon species (Ref. 34024). Oviparous, with oval pelagic eggs floating in a gelatinous mass (Ref. 205).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
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 2025-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Tools
Special reports
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 11.1 - 18.8, mean 13.5 °C (based on 131 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5312 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01995 (0.00906 - 0.04395), b=3.01 (2.83 - 3.19), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.6 ±0.6 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 (26 of 100).
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