Author: Castelnau, 1855
Gymnothorax vicinus Castelnau, 1855
Status in World Register of Marine Species:
Accepted name: Gymnothorax vicinus (Castelnau, 1855) (updated 2009-06-25)
Diagnosis: body elongate, cylindrical anteriorly, clearly compressed behind anus, its depth 3.5-6.3% TL; anus slightly before midpoint of body. Head with occipital region somewhat elevated; anterior nostril tubular, at tip of snout, posterior nostril opening in an oval pore with a very low rim, over upper eye margin. Mouth large, its cleft 36-41% head length. Teeth caniniform, strong, acute, alternating with smal teeth, uniserial on premaxillae and anterior part of both jaws; in posterior part, a row of teeth of medium size, clearly inclined backward,3 large median teeth on premaxillae; vomerine teeth small, acute, uni- serial, slightly inclined backward. Gill opening restricted to small roundish lateral pore. Dorsal and anal fins confluent with caudal fin; dorsal fin origin clearly before gill opening; pectoral and pelvic fins absent. Vertebrae 129-136. Colour: brown or olive-greenish, rarely spotted, slightly lighter on belly and underside of head; rictus edged with brown. Entire anal fin and posterior quarter of dorsal fin edged with white. Size: to 50 cm.
Habitat: benthic on shelf, on rough sand, gravels or rocks. Food: carnivorous. Reproduction: few data; leptocephali described by Blache (1971, 1977) in Gulf of Guinea.
Distribution: Madeira. Elsewhere, only insular in eastern Atlantic (Cape Verde Is. and Bight of Biafra), in western Atlantic from Bermuda, Bahamas and Florida southward to Brazil, including Caribbean islands and central and northern South American coastlines.
Eggs, larvae and young stages. Blache, 1977: 42 (leptocephali).
Otoliths (sagitta). No data.