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Species: Astroscopus zephyreus, Pacific stargazer

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

eyes small
D1: IV
back - white dots
opercular spine blunt, skin covered
C: 2 white stripes

Astroscopus zephyreus Gilbert & Starks in Gilbert, 1897

Pacific stargazer

Body robust; head large, flattened above, partly covered with skin; eyes small, on top of head; a pair of electric organs under 2 triangular to square scaleless areas behind eyes; front nostril round, before eye, rear nostril with crescent shaped groove, both nostrils with fringed margins; mouth large, nearly vertical, fringed; spine behind upper corner of operculum blunt and skin covered; 2 close-together dorsal fins, 1st with IV sharp spines; anal fin without spines; body covered with scales; scales in midlateral series about 80.

Greyish brown on dorsal half of head and body, with numerous small white spots; whitish on operculum and lower half of body;  fins dusky to blackish, tail fin with white stripes.

Size: grows to about 56 cm.

Inhabits sandy bottoms.

Depth: 15-385 m.

Southern California to the Gulf of California to Peru.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
  • Bottom only
Habitat
  • Soft bottom only
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Sand & gravel
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
Feeding Group
  • No Data
  • Carnivore
Diet
  • Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
  • No Data
  • Bony fishes
Egg Type
  • Pelagic larva
  • No data
  • Pelagic
Global Endemism
  • East Pacific endemic
  • Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
  • All species
Regional Endemism
  • All species
  • TEP endemic
  • 3 provinces (Cortez + Mexican + Panamic) endemic
  • Continent only
  • Continent
  • Continental TEP endemic
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
  • Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
  • South Temperate (Peruvian Province )
  • North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
  • Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 56
Depth Range Min
  • 15
Depth Range Max
  • 385