Ophidion muraenolepis Günther, 1880

Ophidion muraenolepis Günther, 1880 View in CoL

English vernacular name: blackedge cusk Fig. 1 View Figure 1 ; Tables 1 View Table 1 , 2 View Table 2 , 3 View Table 3

Material examined.

OPHOMUR. 1–4 / NBFGR, 183.1–201.9 mm SL, Sakthikulangara Landing Centre , Kerala, southwest coast of India, Laccadive Sea, (8°32′15″N, 076°24′64″E), collector Teena Jayakumar T. K., in November 2023 .

Description.

Morphometric and meristic data are summarized in Tables 1 View Table 1 , 2 View Table 2 .

D 140–178; A 126–153; P 22–28; V 2; C 9–10. Developed gill rakers 4; Vertebrae; 72–73. Body covered by small scales arranged in oblique rows without overlapping. Head scaleless, its length 8.99–10.11 in SL. Mouth large, with prominent supramaxilla and upper jaw larger than lower jaw. Maxilla elongated and reaching slightly beyond orbital region. Anterior nostril above upper lip. Weakly developed ethmoid spine and spineless preopercle. Snout rounded to slightly pointed, approximately equal to eye. Eye large, oval, with well-developed lens. Eye diameter 3.03–4.94 in HL, snout 3.57–4.67 in HL, and interorbital space 6.8–7.76 in HL. Nostrils widely separated, anterior situated near tip of snout, posterior in front of eye. Teeth arranged in villiform bands on jaws, with upper jaw featuring four transverse rows, outermost row being slightly enlarged. Patch of small villiform teeth present on vomer, followed by band of similar teeth on each palatine. Gill rakers 4 (on lower limb), 2 rudimentary gill rakers on upper limb. Tubercles present on gill rakers. Length of developed gill rakers 16.65–19.6 in HL. Body depth 6–7 in SL. Dorsal fin origin above posterior end of pectoral fin and its height more than anal fin height. Confluent dorsal and anal fin with caudal fin. Pelvic fin origin below anterior margin of eye, outer rays longer than inner rays. Pectoral fin pointed, pelvic fin origin below anterior margin of orbit to mid-eye, longest ray not reaching pectoral fin base.

Coloration.

Body is light brown dorsally with basket weave pattern scales. The ventral side of the body is pale. Dorsal and anal fins white, with a distal black margin; pelvic fin rays whitish and pectoral fins translucent. Caudal fin pale with black margin distally. Pale greyish brown eyes.

Geographical distribution.

The species was originally described from the Kai Islands, Arafura Sea, Indonesia ( Günther 1880; Robins 1991). It has been subsequently reported from the eastern Indian Ocean and the western Pacific, from northwestern Australia east to the Hawaiian Islands ( USA), north to the Ogasawara Islands ( Japan), south to New Caledonia ( Allen and Swainston 1988; Paxton et al. 1989; Allen 1997; Nakabo 2000; Randall and Lim 2000; Hutchins 2001; Mundy 2005; Randall 2007; Fricke et al. 2025) (Fig. 2 View Figure 2 ). This study expands the known distribution range 5500 km to the west, to the Laccadive Sea, marking the first record of this species in Indian waters and the western Indian Ocean.