Grammonus opisthodon

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Grammonus opisthodon
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Ophidiiformes
Family: Bythitidae
Genus: Grammonus
Species:
G. opisthodon
Binomial name
Grammonus opisthodon
Smith, 1934
Synonyms[1]
  • Grammonoides opisthodon (Smith, 1934)
  • Grammonous opisthodon Smith, 1934

Grammonus opisthodon, the bighead brotula, is a species of fish known from South Africa.

Description

This fish has an eel-like body with a rounded head. It is dark brown in colour with small brown spots on the head. The dorsal, anal and caudal fins are translucent and continuous with many fine rays.[2] They have no spiny rays.[3] The largest known specimen was 5 cm (2.0 in) long.[4]

Distribution and habitat

This fish is known from two nearby sites off the coast of the Eastern Cape of South Africa. It has been found at a depth of 22 m (72 ft) at Port Alfred and the Storms River Mouth.[2]

Conservation

Only two specimens have been collected - one prior to 1934 and a second in the early 1980s.This species is currently listed as

IUCN as very little is known about it.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Grammonus opisthodon". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  2. ^
    OCLC 70133147
    .
  3. ^ Cohen, D.M., 1986. Bythitidae. p. 354-356. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
  4. ^ . Accessed on 15 March 2023.