Species: Xenocephalus egregius, Freckled Stargazer

back brown + many small spots; fin bases dark
Xenocephalus egregius (Jordan & Thompson, 1905)
Freckled Stargazer
Body short, thick, tapering to rear; head square, top covered with exposed bones, a shallow depression in the bones before extending to between the eyes; mouth large, vertical, without skin flaps; chin with a pair of converging bony ridges separated by a deep groove; eye large, on top of head; front nostrils tubular, with a stout tentacle at the rear margin; rear nostril a pore before center of eye; preopercle edge membranous, without spines, with a long, flattened wing-like appendage on lower corner, that appendage smaller in larger fish; operculum ridged, spine behind upper corner prominent, flat, blunt and curved up; dorsal fin without spines, 12-14 rays; anal fin 0, 16-17 rays; pectoral 12-14 rays; pelvic I, 5; body with imbedded scales; lateral lines on each side from head along back, bending down on tail base and ending near center of base of tail fin.
Large fish: upper half of body dark grey to brown, with numerous small dark spots, coalescing in some areas to form short lines; inner ¾ of fins dark brown (tail fin black), with clear margins. Small fish: blackish; fins pale, with a blackish area on base of each; a pale streak along lateral line and one along dorsal fin base. Intermediate sized fish: head and body with mixture of spots and lines.
Reaches 33 cm.
Lives on soft bottoms.
Depth range: 20-1066 m; rarely above 100 m, adults >200 m, juveniles shallower.
Georgia to Colombia.

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- 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 (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- 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
- Bony fishes
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent
- Continent only
- Extends North of GC
- GC non-endemic
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 33
- Depth Range Min
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- 20
- Depth Range Max
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- 1066