Species: Microdesmus suttkusi, Spotside wormfish
flank: row spots behind eye stripe
Microdesmus suttkusi Gilbert, 1966
Spotside wormfish
Slender, wormlike, body height 4-8% of SL; tail (without fin) < 50% of SL; eyes not tiny, on side of head, not skin covered; snout rounded; lower lips with pouches on sides that receive top lips and snout when mouth is closed; teeth in 3 rows; gill opening large (not tubular), ~ base of pectoral; dorsal fin spines evenly spaced, XXVIII, 42 (68-70 elements), origin over pectoral; anal II 32-35; pectoral 13 rays, fin short; pelvics I, 3, shorter than pectorals; tail fin rounded; dorsal and anal fins confluent with tail fin; scales small, non-overlapping, well separated.
Two oblique dark bars under eye; irregular dark blotches on cheek and opercle; a dark stripe from the rear of the eye joins a row of round to diagonal spots running along mid-flank for 2/3 the length of the dorsal and anal fins, 34-37 spots between head and origin of anal fin, spots becoming more crescentic rearwards; a row of asymmetrically placed oblong spots on each side of the dorsal fin; fin membranes clear.
Size: 12.5 cm.
Habitat: rocky shores.
Depth: 0-5 m.
SW Gulf of California to Colombia.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Brackish
- Non Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
-
- Mangrove
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Soft bottom only
- Estuary
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- Carnivore
- No Data
- Diet
-
- No Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Mobile benthic worms
- Egg Type
-
- Pelagic larva
- Benthic
- No data
- Global Endemism
-
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- All species
- East Pacific endemic
- Regional Endemism
-
- 3 provinces (Cortez + Mexican + Panamic) endemic
- Continental TEP endemic
- Continent only
- Continent
- TEP endemic
- All species
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
-
- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- IUCN Red List
-
- Listed
- Data deficient
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Length Max
-
- 12.5
- Depth Range Min
-
- 0
- Depth Range Max
-
- 5
