Species: Peristedion longispatha, Widehead Armored Searobin
rostral plates medium, narro

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.

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