Species: Ostichthys trachypoma, Bigeye soldierfish
snout: central groove triangular
Ostichthys trachypoma (Gunther, 1859)
Bigeye soldierfish
Body oblong, deep; mouth large, oblique; snout blunt, forehead slightly concave; a broad triangular groove on center of snout; bones on head rough and spiny; eye very large; no spines on bone under eye or at crescent shaped corner of preopercle; opercle with one strong spine at top corner that extends from a horizontal ridge; 25-35 gill rakers; dorsal fin XI + I, 12-14, continuous but deeply notched between last 2 spines; anal with IV spines, 3rd spine stoutest and longest, 10-12 rays; pelvics I, 7; tail base narrow in center, expanded behind; tail forked, tips of lobes angular; scales large, front margins straight, angular corners, exposed parts rough and ridged, ridges form short flattened spines on scale edges; 29-30 lateral line scales.
Red, with indistinct white stripes along side; dorsal fin membrane dark red.
Reaches 22 cm.
Lives on hard bottoms, like other soldierfishes.
Depth range: 37-550 m, usually below 200 m.
New York to NE Brazil.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Habitat
-
- Reef only
- Rocks
- Corals
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
-
- Carnivore
- Planktivore
- Data
- Diet
-
- Data
- Zooplankton
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
-
- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
-
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- All species.
- Regional Endemism
-
- Extends North of GC
- Also in Brazil
- Extends South of GC
- Continent
- Island (s)
- All species..
- Continent + Island (s)
- Extends N + S of GC
- GC non-endemic
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
-
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Temperate (>35N)
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
-
- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Length Max
-
- 22
- Depth Range Min
-
- 37
- Depth Range Max
-
- 550
