384 



BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



abits. — Little is known of its habits except that it is a 

 ground fish, usually living in moderately deep water, and car- 

 nivorous, for worms, crustaceans, and small fish have been 

 found in the stomachs of European specimens. In its turn it 

 falls a prey to larger fishes and frequently to Greenland sharks. 50 



THE CUSK EELS. FAMILY OPHIDIID^ 

 148. disk eel (Lepophidium cervinum Goode and Bean) 



Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 2484. 



Description. — The cusk eel is eel-like in form, all its fins 

 are soft and, eel-like, there is no separation between the dorsal, 

 caudal, and anal, but the three form one continuous fin running 

 backward along the back, around the tip of the tail, and for- 

 ward on the lower surface. It is separated from all the true 

 eels, however, by the presence of ventral fins, which are situated 

 on the throat far in front of the pectorals and are reduced to 

 forked barbel-like structures. The structure of the ventral fins 

 and the uninterrupted dorsal fin separate it from the eelpout, its 

 nearest relative among local fishes, and the presence of a short 

 sharp spine on the top of the snout pointing forward and down- 

 ward, and easily felt if not seen (for it is nearly concealed in the 

 skin), likewise differentiates it from such other Gulf of Maine 

 species as it resembles in general appearance. The shape of the 

 snout is likewise diagnostic, as are its large scales, for the other 

 genera of its family have naked heads with the scales on the 

 body very small. 



Color. — Described as brownish yellow, the upper sides and 

 back marked with roundish white spots, the dorsal and anal fins 

 with narrow black margins. 



General range and occurrence in the Gulf of Maine. — This 

 fish has been taken at various localities along the outer part of 

 the continental shelf from off Florida to abreast of Nantucket 

 in depths of 52 to 102 fathoms. It is mentioned here because 

 of the capture of one specimen in 76 fathoms off Nantucket 

 Shoals. 51 



»° Smitt. Scandinavian Fishes, 1892, p. 613. 

 « Goode and Bean, 1896. 



