Species: Synodus synodus, Red Lizardfish, Redbarred Lizardfish

Synodus synodus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Red Lizardfish, Redbarred Lizardfish

Body relatively robust; snout rounded and blunt; each nostril with an elongate flattened cirrus; mouth large, extending well past eye; no fleshy knob on tip of chin; 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 12-14 rays, base of anal short, < base of dorsal fin; pelvics on abdomen behind pectoral base, 8 rays, inner rays distinctly longer than outer rays; tip of pectoral fin extends well past base of pelvic fin; 7 scale rows between lateral line and base of dorsal fin; 15-18 scales before dorsal fin on nape; 54-64 lateral line scales; 4-6 rows of scales between lateral line and dorsal fin origin; bases of short rays at top and bottom of tail fin completely scaleless.

Reddish to brown; 8-10 dark bars on body that extend down below midside where they join a row of dark diamonds, last bar NOT an inverted Y; usually a small black spot at tip of snout; tail fin barred.

Size: 33 cm.

Habitat: demersal on mud or sand bottoms.

Depth: 1-295 m.

Bermuda to Uruguay; also in the E Atlantic.