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Species: Saurida suspicio, Doubtful lizardfish, Suspicious lizardfish

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

back - 5-6 dark saddles
LL - 8-10 dark spots
C base - 2 dark patches
lower jaw longer, visible from above
pectoral not/barely reaching past pelvic origin
LL 52-53
13-18 scales before D
3 rows scales, LL to D

Saurida suspicio Breder, 1927

Doubtful lizardfish

Body slender, elongate, cylindrical; head pointed, eye large; snout about as long as eye; mouth large, slightly oblique, at front, lower jaw longer than upper jaw, visible from above when mouth is closed; many rows fine pointed teeth on jaws, tongue and (in 2 bands) on side of roof of mouth; fins without spines; one dorsal fin in mid-body, with a small skin-flap fin behind it above anal fin; pelvics on abdomen behind pectoral base, with 9 rays, inner rays about same length as outer rays; pectoral fin 11-13% of SL, not reaching or barely reaching origin of pelvics; scales smooth; lateral line straight, along entire body; tail fin with scales on bases of main rays but not on short rays on top and bottom of fin base; 52-53 lateral line scales; 3 rows of scales between lateral line and dorsal fin; 13-18 scales before dorsal fin.

Light brown above, with 5-6 faint dark saddles on back reaching down to lateral line, from just before the dorsal fin origin to the tail base; 8-10 dark spots along lateral line; lower parts pale; tip of lower jaw dark; tail fin with 2 dark patches on its base.

Reaches 8.6 cm.

Lives nearshore on soft bottoms near reefs.

Depth range: 0-120 m (poorly known, few specimens found).

The Bahamas to Colombia.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Soft bottom only
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Sand & gravel
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
Feeding Group
  • Data
  • Carnivore
Diet
  • Data
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Bony fishes
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • Greater Caribbean endemic
  • All species.
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Island (s)
  • GC endemic
  • Continent
  • All species..
  • Continent + Island (s)
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
IUCN Red List
  • Listed
  • Least concern
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 8.6
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 120