Species: Opistognathus brochus, Toothy jawfish
inside mouth & jaws - not color
Opistognathus brochus Bussing & Lavenberg, 2003
Toothy jawfish
Elongate, slender, compressed, tapering; head profile rounded; front nostril with a simple flap at rear; top margin of operculum straight in male, concave in female, without a flap; mouth at front, relatively short, extends less than one eye-diameter behind eye, top jaw expanded dorsally at rear and with straight to concave rear edge, same in both sexes; teeth on both jaws slightly protruding, visible when mouth is closed; no papillae between tooth rows; 1-2 small curved teeth at front of roof of mouth; 23-26 gill rakers; dorsal fin XI, 13; fin extended at rear; anal III, 12, fin extended at rear; pelvic fin with second soft ray very long in both sexes; tail fin rounded; head, nape and pectoral fin base scaleless, rest of body scaly; 49-57 oblique scale rows; lateral line on front half of body only, ends under between first and second dorsal soft ray, 28-31 pores.
Preserved fish: head and body cream; top of head tan, with a tiny black spot on each side behind eye; nape, operculum and cheek with diffuse brown network; snout dusky, front half of top jaw dusky, interrupted by a pale area at front side; underside of head dusky; iris dark; dorsal fin dusky, with ~ 7 diffuse blotches on membranes in spiny and soft sections, 1st one between spines I-II; anal fin black; inner 3 rays of pelvic fin black in male; tail with black bar across base and a dusky bar across the mid-fin; no obvious color inside mouth; no dark bars inside top jaw.
Size: 4.7 cm.
Habitat: burrows in sand and rubble.
Depth: 55-82 m.
Upper Gulf of California and Costa Rica.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Marine Only
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
-
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Soft bottom only
- Sand & gravel
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- Carnivore
- No Data
- Diet
-
- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- No Data
- Egg Type
-
- Brooded
- No data
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
-
- East Pacific endemic
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- All species
- Regional Endemism
-
- TEP endemic
- Continental TEP endemic
- Continent only
- 3 provinces (Cortez + Mexican + Panamic) endemic
- Continent
- All species
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
-
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- IUCN Red List
-
- Listed
- Data deficient
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Length Max
-
- 4.7
- Depth Range Min
-
- 55
- Depth Range Max
-
- 82
