serpens) long, or four and a half times its own length. Reproduction Reproduction is oviparous; the eggs are pelagic and measure in diameter and contain a clear oil globule and six dark pigment patches, which become distributed along the newly hatched larva from in front of the eyes to the tip of the notochord. These patches eventually disappear and the body darkens overall to black. The eggs are mostly found in winter off South Africa; juveniles have been found from April to August off Bermuda. The larvae and juveniles are covered in small, projecting spinules. References Chiasmodontidae Fish described in 1864 Taxa named by James Yate Johnson