Shorefishes of the Eastern Pacific online information system

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Species: Diplectrum eumelum, Cheekspot sand-perch, Orange-spotted sand-perch, Pointed sand-perch

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

under & behind eye: row spots join orange stripe
D & A end & front rays ~ same height
C: bars of orange spots
preopercle spur deep, angular, 8-14 spines
7-10 rows scales on cheek

Diplectrum eumelum Rosenblatt & Johnson, 1974

Orange-spotted sand-perch, Cheekspot sand-perch, Pointed sand-perch

Body elongate, moderately compressed; snout blunt, convex tip; 18-22 gill rakers; angle of preopercle a broad, bluntly pointed bony spur with 8-14 long spines, spur wider than remainder of preopercular margin above; dorsal X,12-13; anal III,7-8; last and first rays of each of dorsal and anal ~ equal length; pelvics under or a little before pectorals; tail concave; snout and between eyes scaleless; scales moderately small, rough; 45-52 lateral line scales, 7-10 vertical rows of scales on cheek.

Upper head and body greybrown, with gold speckling; body sometimes with 5-8 indistinct narrow dark bars; belly white, yellow or light tan; 3-5 orange spots along cheek under eye join orange bar that angles from eye down across preopercular spur; orange spots behind eye and on operculum; inside opercle with large black blotch and yellow area behind it; spiny dorsal dusky, soft part blue with 2 orange stripes changing to spots at rear; tail with vertical rows of small orange spots; large black blotch on tail fin base; anal white, with central yellow stripe; pectoral   & pelvic yellow.

Size: 31 cm.

Habitat: soft bottoms.

Depth: 15-100 m.

Southern Baja and the lower 3/4 of the Gulf of California to northern Peru, the Galapagos.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom only
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Sand & gravel
  • Mud
  • Soft bottom only
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • No Data
Diet
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • No Data
  • Bony fishes
Egg Type
  • Pelagic
  • No data
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
  • All species
  • East Pacific endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Continent
  • All species
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • TEP endemic
  • Island (s)
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
  • Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
  • Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 31
Depth Range Min
  • 15
Depth Range Max
  • 100