Species: Opistognathus galapagensis, Galapagos jawfish
Opistognathus galapagensis Allen & Robertson, 1991
Galapagos jawfish
Elongate, compressed, tapering body; large bulbous head; eye large, high; a multi-branched cirrus at front nostril; mouth terminal, large, extends well to rear of eye, rear end of top jawbone straight, no extension in male; upper jaw 71.1-80.0% of head length; 1-2 teeth at front of roof of mouth; lips without inner papillae; a broad flap under opercle; gill rakers 30-37; dorsal rays XI, 15-17; anal rays III, 15-17; pectoral rays 21; tail rounded, much shorter than head; lateral line on front half of body only, high; scales small, smooth, none on head, body with 106-109 oblique scale rows.
Whitish or pale tan; no obvious color inside mouth; body with six irregular brown bars, the middle portion of bars somewhat expanded and may coalese to form a longitudinal stripe; six large brown blotches, corresponding with each bar, on back and extending on to dorsal fin; a prominent large black spot on distal part of first three dorsal spines and a nearly equal sized white patch immediately below; soft dorsal, anal and tail fins yellowish, with rows of small white spots .
Size: reaches at least 16 cm.
Inhabits sand-rubble areas.
Depth: 5-15 m.
Galapagos Islands and continental Costa Rica.
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 only
- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Soft bottom only
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- No Data
- Diet
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- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Bony fishes
- No Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
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- Brooded
- Pelagic larva
- No data
- Global Endemism
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- East Pacific endemic
- All species
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent + Island (s)
- All species
- Continent
- Island (s)
- TEP endemic
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 16
- Depth Range Min
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- 5
- Depth Range Max
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- 15
