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Species: Platygillellus rubellulus, Shortfin sand-stargazer

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eye with papilla
D1 low
body: ~ 4 dark bars
preopercle scaled
lower lip 15-17 flaps
shoulder: strong white bar
LL 43

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.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom only
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Soft bottom only
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Sand & gravel
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
Feeding Group
  • Data
  • Carnivore
Diet
  • Bony fishes
  • Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Data
  • Mobile benthic worms
Egg Type
  • Benthic
  • Pelagic larva
  • No data
Global Endemism
  • East Pacific endemic
  • All species
  • Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
Regional Endemism
  • TEP oceanic island (s) endemic
  • Galapagos Islands endemic
  • Island (s)
  • Island (s) only
  • TEP endemic
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
IUCN Red List
  • Vulnerable
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 6.8
Depth Range Min
  • 1
Depth Range Max
  • 20