Species: Opistognathus scops, Bullseye jawfish, Happy jawfish
Opistognathus scops (Jenkins & Evermann, 1889)
Bullseye jawfish, Happy jawfish
Elongate, compressed, tapering body; large bulbous head; eye large, high; a simple, unbranched cirrus over front nostril; top jaw bone extending beyond eye, with long extension in male; 2 teeth at front of roof of mouth; no broad flap below operculum; lips without inner papillae; gill rakers 34-36; dorsal rays X, 16-17; anal rays III, 15-17; pectoral rays 20; tail rounded, much shorter than head; lateral line on front half of body only, high; scales small, smooth, none on head, body with 132-145 oblique scale rows.
Generally brownish with 3-4 longitudinal dark stripes on side and scattered elongate white blotches and spots giving appearance of broken wavy stripes; dorsal fin black, with irregular white lines and a prominent ocellus at front, soft dorsal with white spots; tail fin black, with white spots; anal fin black, with a row of white spots along its base; no obvious color inside mouth.
Size: reaches at least 12 cm.
Inhabits sand-rubble bottoms.
Depth: 3-20 m?
Gulf of California to Colombia; rarely in the Galapagos.
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
- Bottom only
- Habitat
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- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom only
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- 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
- No Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Bony fishes
- Egg Type
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- Brooded
- No data
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- East Pacific endemic
- All species
- Regional Endemism
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- Continental TEP endemic
- Continent + Island (s)
- Island (s)
- Continent
- 3 provinces (Cortez + Mexican + Panamic) endemic
- All species
- TEP endemic
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 12
- Depth Range Min
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- 3
- Depth Range Max
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- 20
