Species: Eleotris perniger, Smallscaled Spinycheek Sleeper

Eleotris perniger (Cope, 1871)
Smallscaled Spinycheek Sleeper
Head broad, depressed; body robust; snout short; interorbital broad, 3 times eye diameter; mouth large, oblique, lower jaw projecting; upper jaw extending to middle or end of eye; several rows of fine teeth on jaws, with an outer row of large canines at rear, and/or in inner row where jaws meet at front of mouth; front nostril tubular overlapping upper lip, rear nostril an open pit; gill opening extends to below opercle; a strong, forward-pointing spine embedded in the skin at the lower rear corner of the preopercle; gill membranes broadly joined to throat, with 6 rays; dorsal fin VI + I, 8 (7-8), base of 2nd dorsal < distance from the end of that base to tail fin; pectoral 18 (16-19); anal fin I, 8; pelvic I, 5, fins separate, no anterior membrane; scales mostly smooth at front, rough on body; predorsal scales 49 (39-62); 60 (54-68) scales in lateral series; top of head (except tip of snout), cheeks and opercle scaled; tiny scales between eyes; no lateral line.
Body dark brown laterally along the top or tan with rows of dark brown spots on sides sometimes forming thin horizontal pin-stripes; abdomen lighter; cheek with two dark stripes radiating posteriorly from eye; a large dark spot on upper pectoral-fin base which may be covered by the opercular membrane.
Reaches: 10.0 cm.
Habitat: juveniles in tidal creeks, over a substrate of sand and rocks amid mangrove roots; adults in fresh water lakes.
Depth: 0-5 m.
Bermuda to Brazil.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Brackish
- Freshwater
- Non Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Sand & gravel
- Submerged vegetation
- Estuary
- Freshwater
- Mangrove
- Reef and soft bottom
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Data
- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
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- Benthic
- Data
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Also in Brazil
- Continent
- Continent + Island (s)
- Extends South of GC
- GC non-endemic
- Island (s)
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- 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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- 10
- Depth Range Min
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- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 5