Species: Ichthyapus selachops, Smiling sand-eel
snout pointed, overhanging
eyes minute
eyes minute
no fins
tail tip hard point
nostrils: front = hole, rear in mouth
pale
Ichthyapus selachops (Jordan & Gilbert, 1882)
Smiling sand-eel
Body elongate, cylindrical, pointed at both ends, entirely finless; head and trunk 36-38% of TL; snout sharply pointed from side, depressed and broad above, overhanging, underside flattened and with a tooth-bearing central groove; teeth pointed, in single rows on jaws and roof of mouth; front nostril a flat hole, rear one with an irregular rim opens into mouth; eyes tiny; gill openings entirely below head, on throat, converging forward, almost touching in center underneath.
Overall creamy yellow.
Size: grows to 54 cm.
Habitat: sandy bottoms.
Depth: 5-30 m.
The Gulf of California to Ecuador.
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Species Data
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- Salinity
-
- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
-
- Soft bottom only
- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- No Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
-
- Bony fishes
- No Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
-
- No data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
-
- East Pacific endemic
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- All species
- Regional Endemism
-
- Island (s)
- TEP endemic
- Continent
- All species
- Continent + Island (s)
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
-
- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- IUCN Red List
-
- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Length Max
-
- 54
- Depth Range Min
-
- 5
- Depth Range Max
-
- 30
