Species: Platygillellus rubellulus, Shortfin sand-stargazer


lower lip 15-17 flaps
Platygillellus rubellulus (Kendall & Radcliffe, 1912)
Shortfin sand-stargazer
Body elongate, compressed, tapering to tail; head robust, snout broadly rounded; eyes not on stalks, with a papilla; top and bottom lips with skin flaps, lower lip with 14 (5-17) flaps, more numerous than on top lip; tubular nostrils; dorsal fin originates on nape, in two sections, III-spined low (usually lower than rest of spines) front finlet , III + XIV-XVI, 16-18; segmented anal rays 28 (26-29); pectoral rays 13-15 (usually 14); pelvic fins inserted under throat, each with I, 3, rays thickened and free at the tips; tail fin with some branched rays; lateral line continuous, bends down under last dorsal spine; scales smooth; scales smooth; upper preoperculum & side of head with patch of scales; pectoral base scaled; belly with a narrow band of scales along midline; lateral-line scales 43 (41-45); scales in straight (posterior) part of lateral line 16-19.
White with 4-5 blackish bars on side and longitudinal row of silvery - white spots on lower side; a strong, broad white bar just behind the operculum; some specimens have broadly expanded dark bars with relatively narrow white spaces between them.
Size: attains 6.8 cm.
Habitat: sandy bottoms.
Depth: 1-20 m.
Galapagos Islands.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Soft bottom only
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Sand & gravel
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
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- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Data
- Mobile benthic worms
- Egg Type
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- Benthic
- Pelagic larva
- No data
- Global Endemism
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- East Pacific endemic
- All species
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- TEP oceanic island (s) endemic
- Galapagos Islands endemic
- Island (s)
- Island (s) only
- TEP endemic
- All species
- Residency
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- 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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- 6.8
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 20