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Species: Synodus poeyi, Offshore Lizardfish

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flank - 8 diamond blotches join small blotches below
D front rays reach past last rays
bottom jaw ends in knob
A base < D1 base
LL 43-50

Synodus poeyi Jordan, 1887

Offshore Lizardfish

Body relatively robust; snout long pointed, longer than eye; mouth large, extending well past eye, lower jaw ends in fleshy knob; many rows of fine pointed teeth on jaws, tongue and (in 1 band) 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; anal 10-13 rays; front rays of dorsal fin extend beyond rear rays when fin is pressed down; pelvics on abdomen behind pectoral base, 8 rays, inner rays distinctly longer than outer rays; 7 scale rows between lateral line and base of dorsal fin; 43-50 (rarely 51-52) scales on lateral line; bases of short rays at top and bottom of tail fin completely scaleless.

About 8 roughly diamond-shaped blotches along mid-side, connected to small blotches along the lower flank; no dark spot at top corner of operculum.

Size: 25 cm.

Habitat: demersal on sand and mud bottoms.

Depth: 20-412 m.

North Carolina to central Brazil.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Brackish
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Sand & gravel
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Soft bottom only
  • Estuary
  • Mud
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Bony fishes
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Also in Brazil
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Extends N + S of GC
  • Extends North of GC
  • Extends South of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • Island (s)
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 25
Depth Range Min
  • 20
Depth Range Max
  • 412