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Ophidiiformes (Cusk eels) >
Bythitidae (Livebearing brotulas)
Etymology: Barathronus: Greek, barathron = abyss + ending -ites, that lives there; the Barathron was a deep pit in Athens where criminals were thrown; 1849 +Greek, onos = hake.
More on authors: Goode & Bean.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 366 - 3270 m (Ref. 121928), usually 366 - 1640 m (Ref. 34024). Deep-water
Western Central Atlantic: Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 14.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 121928)
Dorsal soft rays (total): 62 - 78; Anal soft rays: 46 - 59; Vertebrae: 68 - 75. Barathronus bicolor differs from the other five species of the genus with dark-pigmented peritoneum by the following combination of characters: D 62-78, A 46-59, pectoral-fin rays 22-27, anterior gill arch with 28-35 long rakers; vertebrae, precaudal 31-36, total 68-75; vomer with 1-5 fangs; paired bulbs at basis of penis not developed; no ventral flexure of anteriormost vertebrae; penis in ripe specimens long (up to 15% SL) and slender; fresh specimens light brownish with dark-blue peritoneum; otolith almost circular three times as long as thick and centrally placed sulcus 3-4 times in length of otolith (Ref. 121928).
Cross section: compressed.
Common species (Ref. 34024).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Nielsen, J.G., 2019. Revision of the circumglobal genus Barathronus (Ophidiiformes, Bythitidae) with a new species from the eastern North Atlantic Ocean. Zootaxa 4679(2):231-256. (Ref. 121928)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
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