Species: Myxodagnus opercularis, Dart stargazer, Gill's sand-stargazer

Myxodagnus opercularis Gill, 1861

Dart stargazer, Gill's sand-stargazer

Body long and slender, tapering to tail; head a pointed cone;  snout shorter than or equal to eye diameter; lower jaw strongly projecting; eyes not on stalks; top and bottom lips with skin flaps, 7.5 (4-10) top flaps, 14 (10-18) bottom flaps; tubular nostrils; operculum with 6 (4-8) skin flaps;  dorsal fin continuous, origin well behind nape over of just behind anal fin origin, IX (VII-XI), 29 (27-31); anal II, 36 (33-38); pectoral 13-15 (14); lateral line continuous, bends down under dorsal spines III-V; scales smooth, head and belly scaleless; lateral line scales 50 (47-52).

Preserved fish: markings variable, often indistinct; head blotched, a dark bar under eye,  an indistinct dark bar between eyes, small spot behind front nostril; lower jaw plain or blotched; nape with a large central blotch and a pair of small side blotches before that; body generally light tan; usually with 14-18 thin dark saddles across top of back; side with 3 indistinct brownish stripes, top one under dorsal fin base, central one along lateral line (ending in a dark spot on tail fin base), bottom one above anal fin base (the last two may be absent); fins pale, except tail has faint brown streaks.

Size: 8.8 cm.

Habitat: coastal sandy areas.

Depth: 0.2-18m. usually less than 3m.

Northern Baja through the western and central eastern Gulf of California; the Revillagigedos.