Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information system

Español  Contact

Species: Astroscopus y-graecum, Southern stargazer

    Bookmode

Taxa

Next

Previous

Literature

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

Y bone on nape long, narrow
body pale, white spots not very conspicuous, no larger at rear
C: central dark stripe not extending onto tail base
Images
This Species (6) This Genus (2) Similar Species (4)

Next

Previous

Astroscopus y-graecum (Cuvier, 1829)

Southern stargazer

Body robust; head large, broad, flattened above, partly covered with skin and bony plates, but without spines; Y shaped process on top of nape long & narrow; eyes small, on top of head; a pair of electric organs under 2 triangular to square scaleless areas behind eyes; rear end of rear nostril groove much closer to eye than to rear end of skin over electric organs; front nostril round, before eye; rear nostril extended as a crescent shaped groove behind eye; both nostrils with fringed margins; mouth large, vertical, fringed; spine behind upper corner of operculum blunt and skin covered, not obvious; 2 close-together dorsal fins, III-IV sharp spines; + I, 13-15; anal rays 0, 12-14; body covered with scales; scales in midlateral series about 80.

Greyish brown; upper half of head and body with numerous large, irregular, dark-edged white spots; soft dorsal fin with 2 oblique dark bars or a dark edge; tail fin white, with 1-3 dark stripes, central stripe not extending forwards onto tail fin base.  

Size: grows to at least 44 cm.

Inhabits sandy bottoms.

Depth range: 2-100 m.

North Carolina to Brazil.

High Resolution Map Download

Species Data Create Report Export as Word File Export as Excel File
Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore Only
  • Inshore
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Sand & gravel
  • Soft bottom only
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
  • Demersal
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Bony fishes
  • Data
Egg Type
  • Pelagic larva
  • Pelagic
  • Data
Global Endemism
  • All species.
  • West Atlantic Endemic
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Extends South of GC
  • Continent only
  • GC non-endemic
  • Continent
  • All species..
  • Also in Brazil
  • Extends North of GC
  • Extends N + S of GC
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
IUCN Red List
  • Listed
  • Least concern
CITES
  • Not listed
Depth Range Min
  • 2
Depth Range Max
  • 100
Length Max
  • 44