identifier	taxonID	type	CVterm	format	language	title	description	additionalInformationURL	UsageTerms	rights	Owner	contributor	creator	bibliographicCitation
249563C6D622542A925A839B3D8EC81A.text	249563C6D622542A925A839B3D8EC81A.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Ophidion josephi Girard 1858	<div><p>Ophidion josephi Girard, 1858</p><p>Fig. 2</p><p>New records.</p><p>MEXICO • 7 specimens (177-212 mm SL); Las Barrancas, Alvarado, Veracruz; 19°00′24′′N, 095°57′52′′W; 15 Nov. 2018; Pedro Ramon Roman leg.; CIFI-222 • 5 specimens (198-213 mm SL); Las Barrancas, Alvarado, Veracruz; 19°00′24′′N, 095°57′52′′W; 15 Nov. 2019; Pedro Ramon Roman leg.; CIFI-1417 • 5 cleared specimens (182-230 mm SL); Las Barrancas, Alvarado, Veracruz; 19°00′24′′N, 095°57′52′′W; 18 Oct. 2020; Pedro Ramon Roman leg.; CIFI 1649 • 1 specimen (198 mm SL); Las Barrancas, Alvarado, Veracruz; 19°00′24′′N, 095°57′52′′W; 27 Sep. 2021; Pedro Ramon Roman leg.; CIFI-1907.</p><p>Identification.</p><p>The Mexican specimens of  Ophidion josephi measured 177-213 mm SL and weighed 40.0-67.5 g (Fig. 2). The morphometric and meristic data are reported in Tables 1 and 2, respectively.</p><p>Description.</p><p>Dorsal fin rays: 139-147; anal fin rays: 108-117; pectoral fin rays: 21-23; pelvic fin rays: 2; caudal fin rays: 9; branchiostegal 7; gill rakers total: 7; and trunk vertebrae total 16, and caudal vertebrae number 50 to 52. Elongate body covered with diminutive elongated cycloid scales, except for cephalic region. Identified by following combination of characteristics: short blunt snout (3.3%-4.4% of SL), slightly subterminal mouth, maxilla ending behind orbital margin. Moderate eye size, its length approximating that of snout (3.3%-4.3% SL). Five to four gill rakers on lover limb. Head length 17.9%-19.5% SL, with straight dorsal profile or in males strong crest, in straight line over preopercular region. Strong supraopercular spine covered by dermal fold. Pectoral fins shorter than head (57.5%-70% HL), round in shape, its coloration intense yellow, and in some cases, black. Distal margin of dorsal and anal fin black; that of anal fin wider. Predorsal fin length 24.7% to 27.4% in SL and its origin on middle part of pectoral fin. Yellow body coloration, some brown regions. Ventral part slightly lighter that dorsal one. Base of dorsal fin black along its entire length, becoming fainter near caudal fin. Three rows of dark spots on sides, upper one continuous, remaining ones interrupted and blurred. Body covered with cycloid and elongate scales, having basket-shaped pattern.</p><p>Diagnosis.</p><p>This species is distinguished from its congeners by having three to four rows of spots usually fused into a solid stripe, with a distinct crest on the spots; and a swollen nape or crest.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/249563C6D622542A925A839B3D8EC81A	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Pensoft via Plazi	Del Moral-Flores, Luis Fernando;Rodriguez-Gonzalez, Janeth;Jimenez-Badillo, Maria de Lourdes	Del Moral-Flores, Luis Fernando, Rodriguez-Gonzalez, Janeth, Jimenez-Badillo, Maria de Lourdes (2022): First report of crested cusk-eel, Ophidion josephi (Actinopterygii: Ophidiiformes: Ophidiidae), in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria 52 (3): 189-194, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/aiep.52.86571, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/aiep.52.86571
