Red Brotula, Brosmophycis marginata

Red Brotula, Brosmophycis marginata. Fish caught from coastal waters off Point Loma, California, April 2008. Length: 24 cm (9.4 inches). Catch courtesy of Eddie Kisfaludy, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California. Fish identification courtesy of H.J. Walker, Jr., Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California.

The Red Brotula, Brosmophycis marginata, is a member of Bythitidae Family, the Viviparous Brotulas, brótula roja, that is known in Mexico as brótulas viviparas. The family has ninety-six species that have been placed in thirty-three genera, seven of which are found in Mexican waters. This species is the only species in the genus Brosmophycis, and it is found in Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean. This eel is very similar to the Cusk-eel or Ophidiidae Family, except that they give live birth (ovoviviparous) with planktonic pelagic larvae.

The Red Brotula has a long slender body. They have a reddish-brown coloration that transitions to white ventrally and a pale red head with pink lips and pink mucus. Their head is short with a blunt snout and a large mouth that extends past their small eyes. Their anal fin and dorsal fin have red margins; and, their caudal fin and pectoral fins are bright red. Their anal fin has 72 to 81 rays; their caudal fin is rounded and separated from their anal and dorsal fins; their dorsal fin has 98 to 110 rays and is long and continuous and is covered with skin; and they have 4 thread like pelvic fins (two long and two short) that are nearly joined together and found under their gill cavity. Their lateral line is well defined and arched in the fore section then broken into the rear section extending into the caudal fin. They are devoid of spines.

The Red Brotula inhabits rocky reefs and are found at depths up to 256 m (840 feet). They reach a maximum of 46 cm (18 inches) in length. They hide in caves during the daytime and only emerge at night to feed on crustaceans, polychaete worms, small clams, and other invertebrates. The Red Brotula is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Red Brotula is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific but has a limited distribution being found from Cedros Island, Baja California, northward along the central and northwest coasts of Baja.

The Red Brotula can be confused with the Purple Brotula, Grammonus diagrammus (smaller with maximum length of 20 cm; continuous anal, caudal, and dorsal fins).

From a conservation perspective the Red Brotula has not been formally evaluated. They are seldom seen by humans and are of limited interest to most. They are retained by subsistence fishermen and reported to have a sweet and fine-textured flesh.