Family
Ophidiidae (Cusk-eels)
Chilara taylori. Photo: (c) Helge Weissig, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
The cusk-eel family, Ophidiidae, is a group of marine bony fishes in the order Ophidiiformes. The scientific name is from the Greek ophis meaning “snake”, and refers to their eel-like appearance. However, they can be distinguished from true eels of the order Anguilliformes by their ventral fins, which are developed into a forked barbel-like organ below the mouth in the cusk-eels; in the true eels by contrast they are never well-developed and usually missing entirely.
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