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Species: Peristedion longispatha, Widehead Armored Searobin

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

head v broad; face rim wide, ends in broad wing
rostral plates medium, narro
Ds, C y pectoral: outer 1/3-2/3 dark
barbels: round, large tips; lip -1 filament + 2 (separate), chin - 12-13

Peristedion longispatha Goode & Bean, 1886

Widehead Armored Searobin

Head and body flattened below, body completely covered in a heavy armor of 4 rows of bony spiny scales, some of those at rear of series along center of top of back with double pointed spines pointing forward and back;; body very long and very narrow; head extremely wide; narrow between the eyes, bony rim around its side ending in a broad right-angled wing; snout long and narrow; snout plates long and narrow, as long as snout, diverging; adults without spine at base of rostral plate or at nostril; no large spines on the preoperculum; long spine from operculum; barbels: filamentous barbel moderately long, not reach rear edge of bony face rim; 2 separate lower lip barbels; 12-13 chin barbels in 6 clusters, barbels generally with enlarged, rounded tips; dorsal fin divided into separate spiny and soft parts, VIII +18-19, spiny part high, soft part very low; anal fin without spines, 19-20; pectoral fin 11-13 + 2 free rays, fin short; pelvic fins wide apart, below base of pectorals, I, 5 rays.

Body and fins red; outer 1/3 of dorsal fins and tail fin, and outer 2/3 of pectoral very dark; lining of gut cavity and rear of roof of mouth translucent.

Reaches 20 cm.

Lives on sand/mud bottoms.

Depth range: 100-783 m.

The Carolinas to the S Caribbean.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Sand & gravel
  • Soft bottom only
  • Mud
FishBase Habitat
  • Bathydemersal
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Mobile benthic worms
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • GC endemic
  • Island (s)
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 20
Depth Range Min
  • 100
Depth Range Max
  • 783