Species: Bembrops ocellatus, Ocellate flathead, Ocellate duckbill
D1 base blotch + tip I-III black
D2 outer 1/4 black, black base over body saddles
C upper base ocellus/blotch + all edges black
top jaw tentacle short
Bembrops ocellatus Thompson & Suttkus, 1998
Ocellate duckbill
Snout short (~eye); eye large, above, close-set; lower jaw strongly projecting, often with lower teeth exposed; top jawbone with a short (2.6 (1.9-3.9)% SL) rear tentacle; jaw teeth simple; teeth present on center and sides of roof of mouth; gill rakers 20 (18-22); 2 diverging spines at top of operculum, a 3rd at lower corner, with an elongate flap behind it, preoperculum with 2 broad spines at its angle; two dorsal fins, VI (front spines crowded), 2nd spine not elongate in male + 16 (rarely 15 or 17); anal fin 0, 18 (16-19); pectoral fin long and wide, 26 (25-27) rays; pelvic fins I, 5, under operculum, wide between those fins; tail fin straight, with 10-11 branched rays; scales rough on head and body; lateral line arched at front; a spine at front of lateral line, a prominent keel on first few lateral line scales; lateral line 60 (58-63) scales; top of eye scaleless.
Two (rarely 4) wide black saddles on back, 1 under rear part of soft dorsal, the other on the rear of the tail base; 1st dorsal with a triangular black blotch on outer part of membranes I-III, and a large black, half-moon shaped blotch on the basal part of membranes I-V; 2nd dorsal with a black outer stripe, and a black base above each of the two body saddles; upper base of tail fin of female with a black ocellus, with a black wedge in male, top, rear & bottom edges black; anal fin transparent in both sexes; pectorals & pelvics with dusky rays.
Reaches 22.5 cm.
On the bottom.
Depth range: 223-705 m.
The central Caribbean to Guyana.
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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- Mud
- Soft bottom only
- FishBase Habitat
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- Bathydemersal
- 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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- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- Greater Caribbean endemic
- All species.
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent + Island (s)
- Island (s)
- GC endemic
- All species..
- Extends South of GC
- Continent
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
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- Not evaluated / Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 22.5
- Depth Range Min
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- 223
- Depth Range Max
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- 705
