Species: Lepisosteus oculatus, Spotted Gar

Lepisosteus oculatus Winchell, 1864

Spotted Gar

Elongate; a long conical snout, snout moderately narrow and moderately elongate (57-65% of upper head length), distance from front of eye to back of gill cover > 2/3 snout length; nostrils at front of snout; one row large teeth on each jaw (2 rows in young), smaller teeth on side of roof of mouth; gill rakers small and pear shaped; 15-24 on first gill arch; fleshy isthmus of body separating gill openings under throat with small bony ossicles; pectoral low on flank; pelvics at about middle of belly; single dorsal fin and anal fin at rear just before tail; fins without spines, with large scales around their bases; vertebral column continues upwards in a fleshy ridge at base of tail fin; body covered with an armor of large, heavy, rhomboidal scales that are attached diagonally to each other by peg-and-socket; top edge of tail fin covered with bony scales.

Body darker grey above, lighter below; top of head with large oblong dark blotches; body uniform or blotched above, usually 2 brown stripes along side; fins blotched.

Reaches 109 cm, at least 4.4 kg.

Depth: 0-10 m.

Mainly in freshwater; but enters estuaries.

The Gulf of Mexico.