Species: Zenopsis conchifer, Buckler dory, Silver John dory


mouth large, v protrusible
Zenopsis conchifer (Lowe, 1852)
Silver John dory, Buckler dory
Body oval, its depth > head length; head and body greatly compressed; head bones thin and soft; mouth large, oblique, upper jaw extremely protrusible, top jaw bone widely expanded at rear; jaws with a few minute conical teeth; chest narrow; dorsal fin IX-X (long, flexible), 24-30; anal fin III, 24-30, a locking mechanism between first 2 spines; pectoral fin 12-14, much shorter than head or pelvic fins; pelvics I, 5, origin before pectoral origin; tail fin rounded; scales absent; a series of large bony bucklers along base of dorsal and anal fins; 2 rows of 6-7 large keeled scutes between pelvic fins and anus, 2 bucklers before pelvics.
Silvery, with a dark spot on mid-side just behind and above tip of pectoral.
Reaches 90 cm.
Over soft and hard bottoms.
Depth range: 90-600 m.
Both sides of the Atlantic and the W Indian Ocean; Maine to Brazil.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine Only
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Near Bottom
- Mid Water
- Habitat
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- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Mud
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Water column
- Rocks
- Reef and soft bottom
- Corals
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Sand & gravel
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Bentho-Pelagic
- Feeding Group
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- Planktivore
- Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
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- Data
- Bony fishes
- Zooplankton
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Egg Type
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- Pelagic
- Data
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- Circumtropical ( Indian + Pacific + Atlantic Oceans)
- All species.
- Regional Endemism
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- Island (s)
- Also in Brazil
- Continent
- Extends North of GC
- GC non-endemic
- Extends South of GC
- Continent + Island (s)
- Extends N + S of GC
- All species..
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Temperate (>35N)
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Depth Range Min
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- 90
- Depth Range Max
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- 600
- Length Max
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- 90