Species: Bellator xenisma, Splitnose searobin

C red + 2 thin white bars

Bellator xenisma (Jordan & Bollman, 1890)
Splitnose searobin
A large, squarish, bony head that has many ridges and spines; snout plates prolonged, forming a "scalloped" shovel-shaped extension on each side of snout tip; preopercular crest with 2 rear spines; a strong spine projecting laterally from cheek bone; narrow between eyes; mouth opens at front or slightly under snout; teeth on jaws and roof of mouth simple; two separate dorsal fins, X-XI + 10-11, 1st spine longest, about half of head length; anal rays 11; pectoral fins short, 24-39 percent of SL, reaching origin of anal fin, 12 rays, with 2-3 enlarged, free rays at bottom; body with rough scales; rear flap of operculum without scales; nape not scaled; breast and belly with small scales; pored lateral-line scales 35-40.
Head and upper body mottled reddish brown; 1st dorsal fin red, a rominent blue-black ocellus at rear; 2nd dorsal white + 2 red stripes; anal fin pale; tail fin reddish with two narrow white bars; pectorals red-brown to dark grey.
Size: reaches at least 12.5 cm.
Inhabits sand-mud bottoms of trawling grounds.
Depth: 17-200 m.
The Gulf of California to Ecuador.

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 only
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Sand & gravel
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- No Data
- Diet
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- Bony fishes
- Zooplankton
- No Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
-
- No data
- Pelagic larva
- Pelagic
- Global Endemism
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- East Pacific endemic
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- All species
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent only
- Continental TEP endemic
- Continent
- All species
- 3 provinces (Cortez + Mexican + Panamic) endemic
- TEP endemic
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 12.5
- Depth Range Min
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- 17
- Depth Range Max
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- 200