Author: (Lea, 1913)

Pseudophichthys splendens (Lea, 1913)

Diagnosis: snake-like body, scaleless, well compressed, caudal part tapering progressively to a point. Head more or less cylindrical, its dorsal outline almost straight, inter-orbital space narrow, convex. Anterior nostril opening in a pore with a slight rim; posterior nostril an oval pore near anterior margin of eye. Mouth rictus slightly anterior to level of anterior edge of eye; snout high, slightly prominent; labial flange absent in upper jaw; large mucus pores on margin of upper lip and at tip of snout and on chin. In both jaws, teeth long and sharp, in large bands; short and blunt teeth set in a broad and long vomerine oval plate, confluent with premaxillary teeth. Gill openings lateral, crescentiform. Dorsal and anal fins confluent with caudal fin, their finrays segmented; dorsal fin origin posterior to pectoral fin tip. Lateral line: 39 preanal pores, 7 prepectoral; no supra-temporal pore. Vertebrae: total 134-137; abdominal 45-50. Colour: sandy grey, ochre, darker dorsally; vertical fins progressively darker posteriorly; lips, mouth cavity, gill cavity, gill openings and peritoneum purple black. Size: to 50 cm.

Habitat: benthic on slope on muddy bottoms at 1,000 m and over. Food: no data. Reproduction: very few data; larva described as Leptocephalus splendens by Lea, 1913.

Distribution: off Morocco, the Azores and probably Madeira. Elsewhere, western North Atlantic.

Eggs, larvae and young stages. No data.
Otoliths (sagitta). No data.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Superclass Gnathostomata
Class Osteichthyes
Order Anguilliformes
Family Congridae
Genus Pseudophichthys
Species Pseudophichthys splendens

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Pseudophichthys splendens (Lea, 1913)

Scientific synonyms and common names

Pseudophichthys splendens (Lea, 1913)

Synonyms:

Pseudophichthys schmitti Hildebrand, 1940

Pseudophichthys latedorsalis Roule, 1915, C.R. Acad Sci. Paris, 160: 283 ('Acores, nord de î'lle Fayal'). Syntypes: MOM.
Myrus pachyrhynchus (non Vaillant, 1888): Vaillant, 1898: 81 (pro parte).
Pseudophichthys latedorsalis: Roule, 1916: 4; 1919: 97, pl. 6 (fig. 4a-c).
Promyllantor latedorsalis: Fowler, 1936: 270, fig. 124.
Pseudophichthys laterodorsalis: Poll, 1953: 143, fig. 57.


Common name:

purplemouthed conger [En]

Fowler, H. W. 1936. The Marine Fishes of West Africa, based on the collection of the American Museum Congo Expedition 1909-1915. Bull. am. Mus. nat. Hist., 70 (1), Jan. 21, 1936: pp. vii+1-606, fig. 1-275; (2), Nov. 18, 1936: pp. 607-1493, fig. 276-567.

Lea, E. 1913. Muraenoid larvae. Rep. scient. Results Michael Sars N. Atlant. deep Sea Exped., 1910, Bergen, 3, part. I, Zoology: pp. 1-59, 6 pl., 38 fig.

Poll, M. 1953. Poissons. III. Téléostéens Malacoptérygiens. Rés. Sci. Expéd. océanogr. belg. Eaux côt. afr. Atlant. Sud (1948-49), 4 (2): pp. 1-258, 104 fig., 8 pl.

Roule, L. 1915c. Sur un nouveau genre de Poissons apodes et sur quelques particularités de la biologie de ces êtres. C.r. hebd. Séanc. Acad. Sci., Paris, 160: 283-284.

Roule, L. 1916a. Notice préliminaire sur quelques espèces nouvelles ou rares des poissons provenant des croisieres de S.A.S. Ie Prince de Monaco. Bull. Inst. océanogr., Monaco, (320): 1-32.

Roule, L. 1919. Poissons provenant des campagnes du yacht 'Princesse Alice' (1891-1913) et du yacht 'Hirondelle II' (1914). Résult. Camp. scient. Prince Albert 1, 52: 191 pp., 7 pl.

Vaillant, L. 1888. Poissons in Expéditions scientifiques du 'Travailleur' et du 'Talisman' pendant les années 1880-1883. Masson, Paris, 406 pp., 28 pl.

Vaillant, L. 1898. Sur la présence de l'Anguille commune en haute mer. C.r. hebd. Séanc. Acad. Sci., Paris, 126 :1429-1430.

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