Species: Opistognathus rhomaleus, Giant jawfish
inside mouth plain
Opistognathus rhomaleus Jordan & Gilbert, 1881
Giant jawfish
Elongate, compressed, tapering body; large bulbous head; eye large, high; a short simple cirrus at front nostril; rear end of top jaw straight, without fringe at rear, extending well beyond eye, about 59% of head length, but not reaching margin of preopercle, same size in males and females; lips with inner papillae; no broad flap under opercle; 2-4 teeth at front of roof of mouth; gill rakers 28-33; dorsal rays XI, 12-14; anal rays II, 13; pectoral rays 20-21; tail rounded, much shorter than head; lateral line on front half of body only, high; scales small, smooth, none on head, body with 100-105 oblique scale rows.
Light grey with numerous small black spots on head and upper back; sides of adult devoid of markings or with ~5 faint dark bars on upper body; dorsal fin with a series of 5-6 black blotches along its base corresponding to the body bars; juvenile with 5-6 large, dark brown blotches on flank; dorsal fin with whitish base and 6 black spots corresponding to the body blotches; inside mouth without obvious color pattern.
Size: reaches 51 cm.
Inhabits sand-rubble bottoms, often caught by anglers and trawlers.
Depth: 3-70 m.
Central Baja and the Gulf of California to W Panama, and Revillagigedo Islands.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom only
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- No Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
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- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- No Data
- Bony fishes
- Egg Type
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- No data
- Pelagic larva
- Brooded
- Global Endemism
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- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- East Pacific endemic
- All species
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent
- All species
- TEP endemic
- Continent + Island (s)
- Island (s)
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- 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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- 51
- Depth Range Min
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- 3
- Depth Range Max
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- 70
