Species: Opistognathus melachasme, Megamouth jawfish
head red above, orange below
inside mouth yellow, black at rear
top jaw: long rear blade
Opistognathus melachasme Smith-Vaniz, 1972
Megamouth jawfish
Elongate, compressed, tapering body; large bulbous head; eye large, high; front nostril a short tube, without a cirrus; mouth terminal, large, extends well behind eye, its rear end with a thin, flexible extension that, in males, extends back to edge of operculum; no teeth on center of roof of mouth; gill rakers 27-30; fin spines flexible; dorsal and anal fins with long bases; dorsal X, 13-14, spines with tips flexible, curved, slender; anal II, 12-13; pelvic fins I, 5, fin base before the pectoral; tail rounded, much shorter than head; lateral line on front half of body only, high; scales small, smooth; scales absent from head, nape, pectoral base and breast, small areas behind pelvics and above lateral line, 48-51 lateral scale rows.
Body lavender along sides, with 3 red spots (1st above pectoral base, 2nd just past pectoral tip, last behind anal fin origin; top and sides of head red; end of top jaws pinkish, lower jaws and throat orange-yellow; inside mouth yellow, with rear of top jaw and surrounding area black; dorsal fin black across front 5-6 spines, rest of fin with lavender lower ½, red outer ½, outer edge black; anal fin reddish, peppered with black; tail fin pinkish; pelvic fins blackish, with reddish tinge; pectorals colorless. Juvenile: lavender, dorsal fin with eye-size , white ringed black ocellus at front, rest of fin yellow.
Reaches 9.5 cm.
Lives on sand & rubble bottoms.
Depth range: 145-265 m.
The NW 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
- Bottom only
- Habitat
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- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Soft bottom only
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Bathydemersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Data
- Egg Type
-
- Data
- Brooded
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- West Atlantic Endemic
- All species.
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- All species..
- Continent
- Island (s)
- Continent + Island (s)
- GC endemic
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- 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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- 9.5
- Depth Range Min
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- 145
- Depth Range Max
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- 265
