Trachinocephalus myops (Forster, 1801)
Snakefish
Trachinocephalus myops
photo by Sampaio, C.L.S.

Family:  Synodontidae (Lizardfishes), subfamily: Synodontinae
Max. size:  32.6 cm TL (male/unsexed); max. reported age: 7 years
Environment:  reef-associated; marine; depth range 0 - 400 m
Distribution:  Atlantic Ocean: Western Atlantic Ocean from Cape Cod, Massachusetts to Brazil, including Bermuda, Bahamas, Antilles and Gulf of Mexico). Eastern Atlantic from Mauritania to Gabon, including Saint Helena and Ascension Islands.
Diagnosis:  This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following characters: snout length (LSn) 53.2-117.0% eye diameter (DE), mean 79.1% (vs. mean 40.1% in T. gauguini and 74.8% in T. trachinus); LSn 13.5-27.0% body depth (DB), mean 21.6 (vs. mean 14.7% in T. gauguini); interorbital width 3.4-11.9%, mean 8.9% LH (vs. mean 5.6% in T. gauguini); DE 10.8-21.7% LH, mean 15.7% (vs. mean 16·6% in T. trachinus); length of the last dorsal-fin ray 7.3-11.6% LS, mean 9·4% (vs. mean 10.1% in T. trachinus and 10.8% in T. gauguini); anal-fin rays 13-16, mode 15 (vs. mode 14 in T. gauguini and 16 in T. trachinus); pectoral-fin rays 11-13, mode 12 (vs. mode 11 in T. gauguini); lateral-line scales 53-60, mode 57 (vs. mode 56 in T. gauguini); predorsal scales 15-20, mode 17 (vs. mode 16 in T. trachinus); further differs from T. gauguini and T. trachinus by deep mitochondrial distances (16.9-17.6 and 15.1-17.8%, respectively) (Ref. 110386).
Biology:  Rest on or more often burrow into substrate, leaving eyes exposed (Ref. 4472).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 06 September 2019 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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