Species: Dactyloscopus heraldi, Baja sand-stargazer
mouth unpigmented
rear nostril near front nostril
D ~26; A ~32
Dactyloscopus heraldi Dawson, 1975 Dawson, 1975
Baja sand-stargazer
Body compressed, tapering to tail; head large, flattened above, rounded and narrow at front; eyes protrusible, on short stalks, without papillae; tubular nostrils, rear nostril opens near base of front nostril; both lips with skin flaps (branched in adult) 12 (11-14), moderately branched flaps on top lip, 16.5 (14-20) on lower lip; operculum with 13 (7-18) skin flaps; dorsal fin origin on nape, before level of upper corner of operculum, front IV (III-V) spines separate from fin and without membranes, XIV (XII-XV), 26 (24-27); anal II, 32 (29-33); pectoral usually 13 rays; notch under end of tail base; tail fin long, rays unbranched; lateral line scales 46 (44-47); lateral line continuous, bends down under last dorsal spine; scales smooth, head and belly scaleless; no scales above front curved part of lateral line in ~80% of individuals, the rest with a row over rear of that part of lateral line.
Nape, head & chin pale or irregularly mottled; nape without a broad T-shaped pale blotch; dorsal, anal and tail pale to shaded with brown; inside mouth unpigmented; body pale; 8-11 thin, very short dark saddles across top of body & tail base; sides occasionally with indistinct stripes under dorsal fin, along midline and above anal fin, without dark chevrons on rear 1/3 of body; usually a dark spot just above center of end of tail base.
Size: 6 cm.
Habitat: tide pools and coastal sandy areas.
Depth: 0-8 m.
Both sides of the southern Baja California.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine Only
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Bottom only
- Habitat
-
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Soft bottom only
- Beach
- Sand & gravel
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- No Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
-
- No Data
- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Mobile benthic worms
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Egg Type
-
- Benthic
- Pelagic larva
- No data
- Global Endemism
-
- East Pacific endemic
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Cortez province endemic
- Continent
- Continental TEP endemic
- TEP endemic
- Continent only
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
-
- 6
- Depth Range Min
-
- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 8
