Bathytyphlops sewelli (Pisces: Chlorophthalmidae) a senior synonym of B. azorensis, from the eastern North Atlantic with notes on its biology

Evidence provided by six specimens of abyssal Bathytyphlops collected in the eastern North Atlantic indicates the conspecificity of the Atlantic B. azorensis with the Indian Ocean B. sewelli. The data also clarify the distinction between B. sewelli and its congener, B. marionae. The benthic habit of B. sewelli is confirmed. Its reproductive biology is examined and the hermaphroditic pattern substantiated. The species is evidently a multiple spawner with a fecundity of around 6000 eggs. Observations in support of the probable epipelagic larval development of B. sewelli are dicussed. Stomach and intestinal contents analysis suggests that this species feeds largely on benthopelagic crustaceans. Digenetic trematode parasites were found in the digestive tracts of three specimens.