any of about 30 species of slim, eel-like marine fishes of the family Ophidiidae, found worldwide in warm and temperate waters. Cusk eels are characterized by the union of their dorsal, anal, and tail fins into a single long fin, and by the position of their feeler-like pelvic fins, which are on the throat and act as sensory devices, searching out food as the fish swims along the bottom. Some cusk eels are found in shallow water, but most are deep-water fish, growing no longer than 0.6 metre (2 feet); however, two species exceed 1.5 metres (5 feet) in length. One of these, the kingklip (Genypterus capensis), is a South African species prized as food.