Species: Dactyloscopus lacteus, Milky sand-stargazer
top head: white T
Dactyloscopus lacteus (Myers & Wade, 1946)
Milky sand-stargazer
Body compressed, tapering to tail; head large, flattened above, rounded and narrow at front; eyes protrusible, on long stalks, without papillae; tubular nostrils, rear nostril opens behind opening of front nostril; both lips with skin flaps (usually unbranched), 9 (6 -11) above, 13 (11-16) below; edge of operculum with 10 (7-13) skin flaps; dorsal fin origin on nape, before level of upper corner of operculum, front III (II-IV) spines separate from fin and without membranes, XI (X-XIII), 26 (24-28); anal II, 29 (28-31); pectoral usually 13 rays; notch under end of tail base; tail fin long, rays unbranched; lateral line scales 41-45; lateral line continuous, bends down under last dorsal spine; scales smooth, head and belly scaleless; no scales above front part of lateral line.
Body color variable, from pale, almost unmarked fish to strongly colored ones; inside of mouth unpigmented; large T-shaped pale blotch separating dark bars across nape and between eyes; 7-9 dark saddles separated by small white blotches along dorsal fin base; flank with two dark stripes, along lateral line & base of anal fin; dorsal, anal and tail shaded with brown; dark blotch at tail fin base.
Size: 6 cm.
Habitat: coastal sandy areas and tide pools.
Depth: 1-10 m.
Cocos Island and 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
-
- Bottom
- Bottom only
- Habitat
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- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Soft bottom only
- Sand & gravel
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- No Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
-
- Bony fishes
- No Data
- Mobile benthic worms
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
-
- Benthic
- Pelagic larva
- No data
- Global Endemism
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- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- East Pacific endemic
- All species
- Regional Endemism
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- TEP oceanic island (s) endemic
- Island (s) only
- Island (s)
- TEP endemic
- Multiple oceanic islands endemic
- All species
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- IUCN Red List
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- Vulnerable
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 6
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 10
