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brighteye cusk-eel

Ophidion iris Breder, 1936

Source-backed taxonomic record

Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.

Open encyclopedia reference

The brighteye cusk-eel (Ophidion iris) or rainbow cusk eel, is a fish species in the family Ophidiidae. Widespread in the Gulf of California and adjacent offshores along the coast of Mexico to Banderas Bay. Marine subtropical demersal fish, up to 25 cm (9.8 in) long.

Wikipedia contributors, Rainbow cusk eel; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:23:50.418420+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name
Ophidion iris Breder, 1936
Name authority
Breder, 1936
Common name
brighteye cusk-eel
Rank
species
Accepted status
accepted
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Teleostei
Order
Ophidiiformes
Family
Ophidiidae
Genus
Ophidion
Extinction status
Not supplied by this source

Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

  1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
  2. kingdomAnimalia
  3. phylumChordata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. infraphylumGnathostomata
  6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
  7. gigaclassActinopterygii
  8. superclassActinopteri
  9. classTeleostei
  10. orderOphidiiformes
  11. familyOphidiidae Rafinesque, 1810
  12. subfamilyOphidiinae Rafinesque, 1810
  13. genusOphidion Linnaeus, 1758
  14. speciesOphidion iris Breder, 1936

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Ophidion. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

SpeciesClassificationSource status
Ophidion barbatum Linnaeus, 1758OphidiidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
shorthead cusk-eelOphidion dromio Lea & Robins, 2003OphidiidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Ophidion fulvum (Hildebrand & Barton, 1949)OphidiidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
spotfin cusk-eelOphidion galeoides (Gilbert, 1890)OphidiidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Ophidion guianense Lea & Robins, 2003OphidiidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Ophidion metoecus Robins, 1991OphidiidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Ophidion muraenolepis Günther, 1880OphidiidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Ophidion puck Lea & Robins, 2003OphidiidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Ophidion rochei Müller, 1845OphidiidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
longnose cusk-eelOphidion antipholus Lea & Robins, 2003OphidiidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Ophidion exul Robins, 1991OphidiidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Ophidion genyopus (Ogilby, 1897)OphidiidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied

Browse 235 records assigned to Ophidiidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Recorded nameSource status
Ophidion nigracauda Breder, 1936 Breder, 1936synonym
Ophidion nigricauda Breder, 1936 Breder, 1936synonym

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

  1. Breder, C.M.Jr. (1936). Scientific results of the second oceanographic expedition of the “Pawnee” 1926. Heterosomata to Pediculati from Panama to Lower California. Bulletin of the Bingham Oceanographic Collection Yale University, 2 (art. 3): 1–56. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:49VT2. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.