Bregmaceros cantori

Family	Scientific Name	Author	Year	Common Name
Bregmacerotidae	Bregmaceros cantori	Milken & Houde	1984	Striped Codlet

Bregmaceros cantori

Unique Characteristics: Elongate body; top half of small eye with transparent membrane; mouth opens at front; jaws with 1-2 series of minute, slender, movable teeth, similar teeth at from of roof of mouth, no teeth on sides of roof of mouth; 1st dorsal fin a single long dorsal fin ray on head, well separated from rest of fin, that folds into a groove when depressed; 2nd dorsal fin with long base, lower, I, 45-48; anal fin similar to and directly under 2nd dorsal fin, 45-48; pectorals short, high on sides, 13-16 rays; pelvic fins on throat under operculum, inner 3-4 rays branched and short, outer 3 rays free, very long, fit into groove along abdomen and side of anal fin; scales thin, small, smooth; lateral line high on back along each side of dorsal fin base. Transparent, a line of brown pigment from upper corner of operculum along above body midline to base of tail fin, merging with diffuse brown pigment on base of rear 1/3 of dorsal fin and extending onto that fin; remainder of fins colorless; a second brown line along base of dorsal fin extending onto head, forming a figure-8 patch on nape; internal dark pigment as a broad stripe along area of vertebral column tapering to a point at the rear (https://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/caribbean/en/thefishes/species/3058).

Similar Species:

Bregmaceros atlanticus, Antenna Codlet

Antenna Codlet, Bregmaceros atlanticus. Elongate body; top half of small eye with transparent membrane; mouth opens at front; jaws with 1-2 series of minute, slender, movable teeth, similar teeth at from of roof of mouth, no teeth on sides of roof of mouth; 1st dorsal fin a single long dorsal fin ray on head, well separated from rest of fin, that folds into a groove when depressed; 2nd dorsal fin with long base, lower, I, 47-56 visible rays; anal fin similar to and directly under 2nd dorsal fin, 49-58 visible rays; pectorals short, high on sides, 17-19 rays; pelvic fins on throat under operculum, inner 3-4 rays branched and short, outer 3 rays free, very long, fit into groove along abdomen and side of anal fin; scales thin, small, smooth; lateral line high on back along each side of dorsal fin base. Uniform grey-brown; fins with or without dark speckling (https://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/caribbean/en/thefishes/species/3057).

Bregmaceros houdei, Stellate Codlet

Stellate Codlet, Bregmaceros houdei. Elongate body; top half of small eye with transparent membrane; mouth opens at front; jaws with 1-2 series of minute, slender, movable teeth, similar teeth at from of roof of mouth, no teeth on sides of roof of mouth; 1st dorsal fin a single long dorsal fin ray on head, well separated from rest of fin, that folds into a groove when depressed; 2nd dorsal fin with long base, lower, I, 40-44 visible rays; anal fin similar to and directly under 2nd dorsal fin, 41-46 visible rays; pectorals short, high on sides, 17-19 rays; pelvic fins on throat under operculum, inner 3-4 rays branched and short, outer 3 rays free, very long, fit into groove along abdomen and side of anal fin; scales thin, small, smooth; lateral line high on back along each side of dorsal fin base. Transparent; dark dots on front half of body (https://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/caribbean/en/thefishes/species/3059).

Bregmaceros mcclellandi, Unicorn Codlet

Unicorn Codlet, Bregmaceros mcclellandi. Upper part of pectoral fin black or rather dark; dark pigment usually present on caudal fin, anterior and posterior lobes of second dorsal fin, and anterior and posterior lobes of anal fin.

References:

FAO 1990. FAO species catalogue. Vol. 10. Gadiform fishes of the world. (Order Gadiformes). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of cods, hakes, grenadiers, and other gadiform fishes known to date. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125, Volume 10. 442 pp.

Goode, G.B. and T.H. Bean. 1886. Description of thirteen species and two genera of fishes from the Blake collection. Bulletin Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard College 12: 153-170.

Milliken, D.M. and E.D. Houde. 1984. A new species of Bregmacerotidae (Pisces), Bregmaceros cantori, from the western Atlantic Ocean. Bull. Mar. Sci., 35:11-19.

Saksena, V.P. and W.J. Richards. 1986. A new species of gadiform fish, Bregmaceros houdei, from the western north Atlantic. Bull. Mar. Sci., 38:285-292.