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Species: Gunterichthys longipenis, Gold Brotula

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eye v small
head scaleless, + large pores
gold + black fins
D & A separate from C
5-7 long gill-rakers
opercular spine visible
body scales barely overlapping

Gunterichthys longipenis Dawson, 1966

Gold Brotula

Head large, deep, profile flat, snout blunt; eyes very small, distinct; body elongate, compressed, decreasing to slender tail base; front nostril low on snout, closer to lip than is rear nostril, both nostrils with low rims; end of top jaw with 2 small rounded knobs below, well before rear corner; no central tooth patch at bottom of gill arches; large pores along lower and upper jaws, and on top of head, pore at top corner of operculum tubular; 3 pores at lower corner of preoperculum; opercular spine weak, visible; 5-7 elongate rakers on front of first gill arch, remaining rakers are short knobs; dorsal and anal fins separate from tail; dorsal fin origin above middle of pectoral fin, 60-71; anal fin 41-50; pectoral 17-22; tail 12-15; pelvic fins consist of a relatively short filament, inserted under gill cover; lateral line in 2 parts ~14+23 pores; head scaleless; scales small, imbedded, covering body; male copulatory organ with a penis and 1 pair of large pseudoclaspers at its base, all covered by a fleshy hood.

Head and body pale golden yellow; spiny dorsal yellow, with dark speckles; soft dorsal and anal fins mostly blackish brown, with yellow bases and outer edges; tail blackish-brown, with yellow base and rear edge.

Reaches 7.5 cm.

Lives in burrows in mud bottoms in brackish to seawater; lagoons and estuaries.

Depth range: 0-8 m.

The Gulf of Mexico and Colombia.


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Salinity
  • Brackish
  • Marine
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Soft bottom only
  • Estuary
  • Mangrove
  • Mud
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Live birth
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Continent
  • Continent only
  • GC endemic
  • Gulf of Mexico endemic
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 7.5
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 8