Lepophidium microlepis, Silver cusk eel

Lepophidium microlepis (Gilbert, 1890)

Silver cusk eel
Add your observation in Fish Watcher
Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Lepophidium microlepis   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
Upload your photos and videos
 Pictures | Google image
Image of Lepophidium microlepis (Silver cusk eel)
Lepophidium microlepis
Picture by Robertson, R.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Ophidiiformes (Cusk eels) > Ophidiidae (Cusk-eels) > Ophidiinae
Etymology: Lepophidium: Latin, lepus, leporis = rabbit + Greek, ophis = serpent (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Gilbert.

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

Marine; demersal; depth range 73 - 307 m (Ref. 91765). Subtropical; 30°N - 21°N, 118°W - 108°W (Ref. 91765)

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

Eastern Pacific: Gulf of California and along the outer coast of Baja California as far north as Bahía Sebastían Viscaíno.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 41.5 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 86316)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal soft rays (total): 117 - 128; Anal soft rays: 97 - 108; Vertebrae: 66 - 70. This fine-scaled species have the following characteristics: pyloric caeca usually 5-6, typically 5 + 1; usually 3 rudimentary gill rakers on the upper arm of the first arch and 4-5 developed rakers on lower arm with 2-5 rudimentary rakers anteriorly, total gill rakers usually 11-12 (10-15); count of scale rows almost 30 between the occipital line and the dorsal-fin origin, 14-15 rows between the dorsal-fin origin and the lateral line, and about 255 lateral scale rows; dorsal-fin origin between neural spines 4-5 (rarely between 3-4); color of head and body rather uniformly dusky, silvery, or whitish along the belly; dorsal fin usually lacks a dark edge, and when present it is poorly developed; anal fin has an inconspicuous and narrow dark edge; orobranchial cavity usually pale, but the rear of the roof of the mouth may be dusky; esophagus blackish; stomach and hindgut pale (Ref. 91765).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated; Cross section: compressed.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Occurs benthically, from 210-307 m in the Gulf of California and 73-293 m on the outer coast (Ref. 91765). Oviparous, 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

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 2025-2)

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

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items (preys)
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
Spawning
Spawning aggregations
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Distribution
Territories
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
BRUVS - Videos
Anatomy
Gill area
Brain
Otolith
Physiology
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Genetics
Genome
Genetics
Heterozygosity
Heritability
Genetic Diversity
Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
Outreach
Collaborators
Taxonomy
Common names
Synonyms
Morphology
Morphometrics
Pictures
References
References

Tools

E-book | Field guide | Identification keys | Length-frequency wizard | Life-history tool | Point map | Catch-MSY |

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

Download XML

Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search |