Species: Gobiomorus dormitor, Bigmouth sleeper
lateral scales 55-64
Gobiomorus dormitor Lacepede, 1800
Bigmouth sleeper
Body elongate, cylindrical, narrowing to rear; head elongate, conical in profile, depressed above; mouth large, lower jaw projecting; teeth small conical, in several rows on jaws; teeth on front of roof of mouth; gill openings extend forward nearly to the level of the angles of the mouth, separated from each other by a very narrow isthmus; gill membranes with 6 rays; gill rakers 16 (14-17); dorsal fins VI weak spines + I, 9, fins well separated, base of 2nd dorsal < distance from the end of that base to tail fin; anal fin I, 9 (rarely 8 or 10); pectoral 17 (16-17), broad and fan like; pelvic fins I, 5, long, completely and widely separated; tail fin rounded, with 14 (rarely 13 or 15) principal rays; scales rough on body, smooth on head, medium sized, 56-58 (55-64) in lateral series, on body, forehead, cheeks and operculum; no lateral line; 1/4-1/3 of base base of pectoral fin scaled.
Dark brown to olive brown above and tan to yellowish tan below; several faint dark stripes on operculum; an oblique blackish bar across rear 1/2 of 1st dorsal; rows of spots on 2nd dorsal and tail fins; juveniles with more intense colors; a black stripe formed by a series of blotches from snout, through the eye to the base of the tail fin; tail fin base with 3 black spots, in the center and top and bottom profiles.
Reaches: 60.0 cm TL.
Habitat: freshwater; brackish; marine; adults occur in fresh water, often well inland. Inhabits larger free flowing clear water streams.
Depth: 0-5 m.
Both sides of the Atlantic; Bermuda to Brazil.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Brackish
- Freshwater
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Freshwater
- Submerged vegetation
- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom only
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Estuary
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
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- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Insects
- Data
- Egg Type
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- Pelagic larva
- Data
- Benthic
- Global Endemism
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- Transatlantic (East+West Atlantic)
- All species.
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Also in Brazil
- Extends South of GC
- GC non-endemic
- Continent
- All species..
- Island (s)
- Continent + Island (s)
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 60
- Depth Range Min
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- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 5
