Species: Lonchopisthus ancistrus, Hook Jawfish

cheeks no scales
Lonchopisthus ancistrus Smith-Vaniz & Walsh, 2017
Hook Jawfish
Elongate, compressed, tapering body; large bulbous head, eye large, high on side of head; mouth opens at front, large, extends to rear of eye; top jaw with top of rear end concave, strongly hooked; gill rakers 14-19+ 29-33; dorsal and anal fins with long bases; dorsal fin X-XI, 12 (12-13); anal fin III, 12 (11-12); pectoral 19-21; pelvic fins I, 5, long (39.4-75.3% SL), outer 2 rays stout and unbranched, inner 3 rays weaker and branched, fin base before the pectoral, not elongated; tail fin much longer than head, sharply pointed, 5-13 branched rays, no elongated free central fin rays; 33-39 longitudinal scale rows along body; cheeks & opercle not scaled; lateral line on front half of body only, high.
Body and fins dusky yellow; pelvics with elongate ray white; inside mouth pale.
Reaches 14.7 cm.
Probably lives in burrows on muddy bottoms.
Depth range: 110-220 m
The Gulf of Mexico to Honduras.

High Resolution Map Download
- 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
- Bottom only
- Habitat
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- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Soft bottom only
- 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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- Brooded
- Data
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent
- Continent only
- GC endemic
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
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- Data deficient
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 14.7
- Depth Range Min
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- 110
- Depth Range Max
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- 220