Species: Kathetostoma cubana, Cuban stargazer, Spiny stargazer
Kathetostoma cubana Barbour, 1941
Spiny stargazer
Body elongate, thick, tapering to rear; head large, square, top horizontal, some of bones with spines; eye large, on top of head; mouth large, vertical, lips with fringe of papillae; chin without converging bony ridges; front nostril a short tube, with a branched tentacle at its rear edge; rear nostril a pore before eye; preopercle with 3 spines on its lower corner; a large venomous spine at upper edge of operculum; dorsal fin at rear, without spines; 14-15 rays; anal 0, 13; tail rounded; pectoral broad, rounded, 17-18 rays; pelvics narrow; no scales.
Black, greenish-brown, yellowish-brown to grey above; white to yellowish-white below; upper surface with dark marbling; dorsal fin yellow-brown with an indistinct dark blotch at front; pectoral grey-brown, with rear edge white; pelvics and anal whitish in young, reddish in adults; tail fin white, with a dark central bar.
Size: 33 cm.
Habitat: benthic on soft bottoms.
Depth range: 100-710 m, usually well below 100 m.
Georgia to the S Caribbean.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Mud
- Soft bottom only
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Sand & gravel
- FishBase Habitat
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- Bathydemersal
- Feeding Group
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- Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
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- Data
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Bony fishes
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species.
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Island (s)
- All species..
- Continent + Island (s)
- GC endemic
- Continent
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- 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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- 33
- Depth Range Min
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- 100
- Depth Range Max
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- 710
