Fore-spotted Brotula, Brotula ordwayi

Fore-spotted Brotula, Brotula ordwayi, Juvenile. Fish provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, February 2014. Length: 6.0 cm (2.4 inches). Identification courtesy of Dr. Robert N. Lea, Monterey, California.

Fore-Spotted Brotula, Brotula ordwayi. Fish provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, September 2009. Length: 46 cm (18 inches). Identification courtesy of Dr. Robert N. Lea, Monterey, California.

The Fore-spotted Brotula, Brotula ordwayi, is a member of the Cusk Eel or Ophidiidae Family, that is known in Mexico as lengua pintada. Globally, there are five species in the genus Brotula, of which three are found in Mexican waters, one in the Atlantic and two in the Pacific Ocean.

The Fore-spotted Brotula has an elongated and relatively deep compressed body that tapers towards the rear. The adults are a uniform light brown color with numerous black spots on the top portions of their head and first half of their body; these spots are absent around the mouth and on the ventral side. Their anal and dorsal fins are dusky black with a pronounced white margin. The filaments on their barbels and pelvic fins are white. Their head features large eyes, a nostril that is halfway between the top lip and the rear nostril, a large mouth, and large gill openings. There are three short barbels on each side of the snout and three barbels on each side of the lower jaw. Their anal and dorsal fin bases are long and continuous with a pointed caudal fin; the dorsal fin is longer and originates before the anal fin; their pectoral fins have 23 rays; and each pelvic fin has a two-rayed filament that is found under the throat. Their body is covered with small smooth scales.

The Fore-spotted Brotula is a demersal species that inhabits rocky reefs and adjacent sand bottoms and are found at depths up to 76 m (250 feet). The adults are benthopelagic being able to suspend themselves above the bottom, whereas the juveniles are common on reefs. They reach a maximum of 75 cm (2 feet 6 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 Fore-spotted 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 Fore-spotted Brotula is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific but has a limited distribution being found from Acapulco, Guerrero, south along the coast of the mainland to Guatemala. The fish pictured above documents a significant range extension for this species to the southwest coast of Baja, Baja California Sur.

The Fore-spotted Brotula is a straight-forward identification due to their spotting patterns but can be confused with the Pacific Bearded Brotula, Brotula clarkae (no spots on the head and first half of the body).

From a conservation perspective the Fore-spotted Brotula is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are obtained as a by-catch of deep water trawlers and by hook and line by commercial fishermen in the greater Los Cabos area, but are generally too rare and too small to be of commercial interest. They are seldom seen by humans and are of limited interest to most.