Species: Opistognathus signatus, Dark Spotted Jawfish

Opistognathus signatus Smith-Vaniz, 1997

Dark Spotted Jawfish

Elongate, compressed, tapering body; large bulbous head; eye large, high; front nostril a short tube with a simple cirrus; mouth terminal, large, extends well to rear of eye; rear of top jaw ending in a thin flexible plate, slightly elongate in female, very elongate in male (extends beyond edge of operculum); front of roof of mouth with 1-2 large, blunt teeth; 28-34 gill rakers; fin spines flexible; dorsal and anal fins with long bases; dorsal X-XI, 16-17; anal II-III, 16-17; pelvic fins I, 5, outer 2 rays stout and unbranched, inner 3 rays weaker and branched, fin base before the pectoral; tail rounded, shorter than head, ~25% of SL; lateral line on front half of body only, high; scales small, smooth, none on head, body with 57-70 oblique scale rows.

Head and body brown; a few scattered body scales heavily pigmented, forming isolated prominent dark spots; dorsal fin with a prominent large widely white-ringed ocellus between spines III-VII, rest of fin and anal fin dark, with numerous white spots; pectoral with pale speckles and spots; tail fin black, with 3 white bars; ear of inside mouth uniformly dark; inner lining of top jaw and adjacent membranes of adult males with 1 black stripe, females with no stripe or a brown stripe.

Reaches 8 cm.

Lives in burrows on sand and rubble bottoms.

Depth range: 8-68 m.

Nicaragua to Venezuela.