Benthocometes robustus

Benthocometes robustus

The yellow tip (Benthocometes robustus Goode & Bean, 1886) is a fish belonging to the Ophidiidae family.

Systematics –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to:
Eukaryota domain,
Kingdom Animalia,
Phylum Chordata,
Class Actinopterygii,
Order Ophidiiformes,
family Ophidiidae,
Genus Benthocometes,
Species B. robustus.
The terms are synonymous:
– Neobythites robustus Goode & Bean, 1886;
– Pteridium armatum Döderlein, 1886;
– Sirembo muraenolepis Vaillant, 1888.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
Benthocometes robustus is a fish present throughout the Mediterranean Sea and in both western and eastern Atlantic Oceans. It is also present in the Caribbean Sea. It is not common in Italian seas but is present, while it is absent in the Middle and Upper Adriatic. It is a fairly rare species, reported in Sicily and in the Tuscan archipelago.
Its marine habitat is that of muddy bottoms at great depths, between 300 and about 900 m.

Description –
The Benthocometes robustus is a bony fish which reaches the 15 cm of length and has an elongated body, laterally compressed, paunchy forward and rapidly tapering towards the caudal, which is pointed. Lateral line, single, follows the dorsal profile.
The body color is silver gray with yellowish shades with numerous dark points (melanophores).
The head is large and with a rounded snout and evident nostrils, of which the front opens at the end of a short tube.
The eye is circular and relatively large.
The mouth is not very wide and is cut downwards. In the jaws there are villiform teeth. Dental plates are found on the vomer, palate and pharynx.
The dorsal fin joins the anal through the caudal. The latter is small and shaped like a brush. The pectorals are moderately developed; the ventral ones, filiform and short, are inserted forward, at the level of the jugular area.

Biology –
As with other deep-sea species of Ophidiidae, this fish was thought to be viviparous or ovoviviparous; in fact it has been ascertained that instead it produces pelagic eggs in gelatinous clusters.
However, the reproduction is little known due to the depths where it lives and reproduces which range, as mentioned, from 300 to 900 m on muddy and sandy bottoms.

Ecological role –
Benthocometes robustus is the only representative of the genus Benthocometes.
The species is found in deep waters and is rarely caught with bottom trawls and has no food value.
This species feeds on small invertebrates and small benthic organisms, usually zooplankton crustaceans.
According to the IUCN, no specific threats are known for this species, therefore it is evaluated as Least Concern (LC).

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
– Louisy P., 2016. Guide to the identification of marine fish of Europe and the Mediterranean. Il Castello Editore, Milan.
– Nikiforos G., 2008. Fauna of the Mediterranean. Giunti Editore, Florence.

Photo source:
– https://www.marinespecies.org/photogallery.php?album=752&pic=120520#photogallery
– http://www.fishbiosystem.ru/OPHIDIIFORMES/Ophidiidae/Foto/(Benthocometes%20robustus)%203p.gif