Finescale Cusk Eel

This fine-scaled species have the following characteristics: pyloric caeca usually 5-6, typically 5 + 1; usually 3 rudimentary gill rakers on the upper arm of the first arch and 4-5 developed rakers on lower arm with 2-5 rudimentary rakers anteriorly, total gill rakers usually 11-12 (10-15); count of scale rows almost 30 between the occipital line and the dorsal-fin origin, 14-15 rows between the dorsal-fin origin and the lateral line, and about 255 lateral scale rows; dorsal-fin origin between neural spines 4-5 (rarely between 3-4); color of head and body rather uniformly dusky, silvery, or whitish along the belly; dorsal fin usually lacks a dark edge, and when present it is poorly developed; anal fin has an inconspicuous and narrow dark edge; orobranchial cavity usually pale, but the rear of the roof of the mouth may be dusky; esophagus blackish; stomach and hindgut pale (Ref. 91765).

Dorsal soft rays (total): 117 - 128; Analsoft rays: 97 - 108; Vertebrae: 66 - 70

Occurs benthically, from 210-307 m in the Gulf of California and 73-293 m on the outer coast (Ref. 91765). Oviparous, with oval pelagic eggs floating in a gelatinous mass (Ref. 205).