Species: Gillellus ornatus, Ornate sand-stargazer
body: ~ 10 dark saddles
lip flaps: lower only
Gillellus ornatus Gilbert, 1892
Ornate sand-stargazer
Body compressed, tapering to tail; head moderate size; lower jaw tip not fleshy & not protruding; eyes not on stalks; lower lips with 4 skin flaps, none on top lips; tubular nostrils; dorsal fin origin on nape, before level of upper corner of operculum, an isolated lowe finlet of II spines at front, then I-II free spines, then main fin, II + I (or I + I) + IX-XI (total XII-XIV), 31 (29-33); segmented anal rays 35 (33-37); pectoral rays 12 (11-13); tail fin with some branched rays; lateral line continuous, bends down under dorsal elements 18-22; scales smooth; head, pectoral base and belly scaleless; total lateral-line scales 52 (49-57); scales in straight (posterior) part of lateral line 24 (22-26).
A dark bar through the eyes; 9 (8-10) dark bars across top of back down to flank midline, where ends are joined by a horizontal line of dark flecks, may have dark spots on back between bars; fins pale.
Size: 6 cm.
Habitat: sandy bottoms inshore & offshore.
Depth: 3-55 m.
Central Gulf of California.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Marine Only
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Bottom only
- Habitat
-
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Soft bottom only
- Sand & gravel
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- Carnivore
- No Data
- Diet
-
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- No Data
- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Mobile benthic worms
- Egg Type
-
- No data
- Benthic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
-
- East Pacific endemic
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- All species
- Regional Endemism
-
- Continental TEP endemic
- TEP endemic
- Continent only
- Continent
- All species
- Cortez province endemic
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
-
- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- IUCN Red List
-
- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Length Max
-
- 6
- Depth Range Min
-
- 3
- Depth Range Max
-
- 55
