Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information system

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Species: Trachinocephalus myops, Snakefish, Bluntnose Lizardfish

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

v short, blunt snout
mouth v oblique
black spot top corner operculum
back: black-edged blue stripes
pelvic 8, inner rays >> outer
A 15-17, base > D base

Trachinocephalus myops (Forster, 1801)

Snakefish, Bluntnose Lizardfish

Body robust, cylindrical; head blunt, snout shorter than eye; mouth large, strongly oblique, lower jaw slightly projecting; many rows fine pointed teeth on jaws, tongue and 1 band on each 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, inserted before dorsal fin, with 8 rays, the inner rays distinctly longer than the outer rays; anal fin base longer than dorsal base, 15-17 rays, its origin about midway between insertion of pectoral fin and tail fin base; lateral line straight, along entire body; scales smooth, 53-59 lateral line scales; tail fin with small scales on short rays on upper and lower parts of base of fin.

Pale grey brown, yellow along side of body; an oval black spot at top corner of operculum; a series of pale blue stripes narrowly edged in black along sides of body.

Reaches 40 cm.

Sand, rubble and mud bottoms, often around reefs.

Depth range: 1-430 m.

Trans-Atlantic; Massachusetts to Brazil.


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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)
  • Soft bottom only
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Bony fishes
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
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 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)
  • Temperate (>35N)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 40
Depth Range Min
  • 1
Depth Range Max
  • 430