Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information system

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Species: Synodus synodus, Red Lizardfish, Redbarred Lizardfish

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

snout tip - black spot
nostrils - long flat cirri
body - 8-10 dark bars join dark diamonds on flank
last body bar NOT an inverted Y
C with bars
pectoral well past pelvic base
A 8-10, base < D1 base

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.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Sand & gravel
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Mud
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef and soft bottom
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Bony fishes
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
  • Transatlantic (East+West Atlantic)
Regional Endemism
  • Also in Brazil
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • 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)
  • Temperate (>35N)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 33
Depth Range Min
  • 1
Depth Range Max
  • 295