Species: Lonchopisthus higmani, Higman’s jawfish, Spotcheek jawfish
operculum - oval black & white ocellus
Lonchopisthus higmani Mead, 1959
Spotcheek jawfish
Elongate, compressed, tapering body; large bulbous head, eye large, high on side of head; mouth opens at front, large, extends to rear of eye; top jaw with rear end concave, a blunt notch on underside at rear; gill rakers 17-24+31-39; dorsal and anal fins with long bases; dorsal fin X-XI, 18 (17-19); anal fin III, 17 (14-18); pectoral 18-21; pelvic fins I, 5, outer 2 rays stout and unbranched, inner 3 rays weaker and branched, fin base before the pectoral, not elongated; tail fin much longer than head, sharply pointed, 0 (0-6) branched rays, no elongated free central fin rays; 47-56 longitudinal scale rows along body; cheeks scaled; lateral line on front half of body only, high.
Body grey-brown, paler below; several whitish bars at front of body, a series of scattered whitish blotches behind; all fins except pectoral dark; an oval black to dark grey, white ringed ocellus on operculum; inner membrane connecting top and bottom jaws black.
Reaches 19.7 cm.
Lives in burrows on muddy bottoms.
Depth range: 13-97 m, usually at 40-70 m.
The NW Caribbean to Suriname.
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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- Soft bottom only
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Mud
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Bony fishes
- Egg Type
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- Brooded
- Pelagic larva
- Data
- Global Endemism
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- All species.
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- GC non-endemic
- Continent
- Continent only
- All species..
- Extends South of GC
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 19.7
- Depth Range Min
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- 13
- Depth Range Max
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- 97
