Dalophis imherbis (Delaroche, 1809)

Description: body very elongate, snake-like, cylindrical; anus in anterior half of body. Snout short, subconical; eye small, under skin, at midpoint between tip of snout and rictus; lower jaw symphysis nearer to tip of snout than to anterior border of eye; snout, dorsal part of head and lips covered by villosities. Anterior nostril opening as a short tube in a small furrow on underside of snout, at level of premaxillary teeth; posterior nostril opening on upper lip; well behind first maxillary teeth, as an oval pore covered by a fold. Teeth conical, acute, slightly curved, uniserial in both jaws; 5-7 premaxillary teeth forming a V; vomerine teeth biserial anteriorly, uniserial posteriorly. Gill openings latero-ventral, slightly crescentiform. Dorsal and anal fins low, in a deep dermal groove; dorsal fin origin far behind gill openings at a distance longer than head length; pectoral fins absent or very rudimentary; caudal fin absent, caudal extremity blunt and hardened. Lateral line with 68-70 preanal pores, 7 prebranchial, all with a slight collar; 3 supra-temporal pores. Vertebrae: total 148-159; abdominal 72-78.

Color: head, back and base of dorsal fin grey-violet, minutely dotted with black; belly and underside of head yellowish.

Size: to 1.50 m.

Habitat: benthic on the shelf, littoral, burrowing in sand or mud at 20-80 m.

Food: no data.

Reproduction: very few data; spawning in August-September in Bay of Algiers; eggs 2.1-2.6 mm diameter.