Species: Saurida suspicio, Suspicious Lizardfish

Saurida suspicio Breder, 1927

Suspicious 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: 7-212 m (poorly known, few specimens found).

The Bahamas to Colombia.