Species: Opistognathus schrieri, Curacao Jawfish

Opistognathus schrieri Smith-Vaniz, 2017

Curacao Jawfish

Elongate, compressed, tapering body; large bulbous head; eye large, high; front nostril with a simple tube, no cirrus; mouth terminal, large, extends well to rear of eye; top jaw bone truncate at rear, with a slightly flexible lamina, supramaxilla bone large, triangular, above rear of top jaw bone; gill rakers 8-9+23-25; fin spines flexible; dorsal and anal fins with long bases; dorsal X, 13-14, anal II,13; pectorals 20; pelvic fins I, 5, outer 2 rays stout and unbranched, inner 3 rays weaker and branched, fin base before the pectoral; tail rounded, much shorter than head; lateral line on front half of body only, high; scales small, smooth. 47-50 in longitudinal series.

Head and body grey-brown; body with a series of 5 irregular dark bars, 1st under front of dorsal fin, last on end of tail base; head with dark brown mottling; eye brown; rear 2/3 of top jaw whitish, divided by a blackish bar; inside of mouth pale, with a black-brown blotch at rear of both jaws, yellow behind that on top jaw; operculum with irregular whitish blotches; base of pectoral white; dorsal fin with lower 2/3 white, a large oval black , white ringed blotch at front, followed by 2 brown to black blotches along the base of the spiny fin and 2 oblique brown bars on soft fin, outer part of fin yellow, edge of spiny fin brown; tail fin with pale brown base, yellow rear 1/3; anal fin with whitish base, rest of fin yellow to yellow-brown; pelvics yellow; pectorals clear.

Reaches 5.7 cm.

Depth: 152 m.

Soft bottoms adjacent to reefs.

Roatana and Curacao.