Species: Dactyloscopus amnis, Estuarine sand-stargazer, Riverine stargazer
Dactyloscopus amnis Miller & Briggs, 1962
Riverine stargazer, Estuarine sand-stargazer
Body compressed, tapering to tail; head large, flattened above, rounded and narrow at front; eyes protrusible, on short stalks, without papillae; tubular nostrils, rear nostril opens near base of front nostril; both lips with (usually unbranched) skin flaps, 13 (11-16) above, 18 (16-22) below; operculum with 14 (10-18) skin flaps; dorsal fin origin on nape, before level of upper corner of operculum, front IV (II-IV) spines separate from fin and without membranes, XII (XI-XIV), 25 (23-27); anal II, 30 (28-32); pectoral usually 13 rays; no notch under tail base; dorsal and anal fins joined by membranes to tail base; tail fin short (< 12% of SL) with branched rays; lateral line scales 42-45; lateral line continuous, bends down under last dorsal spine; scales smooth, head and belly scaleless; no scales above front part & arch (occasionally 1-2 scales) of lateral line.
Color variable: head lightly to heavily mottled with brown; inside mouth pigmented; 12 (9-15) dark bars, with narrower pale interspaces across top of body that are joined below by longitudinal stripe along upper back; flank with 2 stripes, along lateral line & above anal fin; fins pale or streaked with brown.
Size: 9.3 cm
Habitat: sandy areas oaround estuaries; also freshwater.
Depth: 0.1-5 m.
Sinaloa, Mexico, to Panama.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Freshwater
- Brackish
- Non Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Bottom only
- Habitat
-
- Freshwater
- Soft bottom only
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Sand & gravel
- Estuary
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- Carnivore
- No Data
- Diet
-
- Bony fishes
- No Data
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Mobile benthic worms
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
-
- Benthic
- Pelagic larva
- No data
- Global Endemism
-
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- All species
- East Pacific endemic
- Regional Endemism
-
- Continent
- All species
- Mexican + Panamic provinces endemic
- TEP endemic
- Continental TEP endemic
- Continent only
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
-
- 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
-
- 9.3
- Depth Range Min
-
- 0
- Depth Range Max
-
- 5
