Species: Dactyloscopus insulatus, Insular whitesaddle stargazer

mouth unpigmented

lip flaps (unbranched): 11 top, 15 bottom
D ~XII, 24: A ~28
Dactyloscopus insulatus
Insular whitesaddle stargazer
Body compressed, tapering to tail; head large, flattened above, rounded and narrow at front; eyes protrusible, on stalks, without papillae; tubular nostrils; rear nostril opens near base of front nostril; both lips with skin flaps (usually unbranched), 11 (9-11) above, 15 (13-18) below; edge of operculum with 12 (8-16) skin flaps; dorsal fin origin on nape, before level of upper corner of operculum, front III-IV spines separate from fin and without membranes, XII (XI-XIII), 24 (23-26); anal II, 28 (27-30); pectoral usually 13 rays; notch under end of tail base; tail fin long (~16.5% SL), rays unbranched; lateral line continuous, bends down under last dorsal spine; scales smooth, head and belly scaleless; lateral line scales 42 (40-44); no scales above upper front part of lateral line, usually a single row above arch of that line.
Upper head pale brown, a broad white T shape blotch across top of rear part of head with forward extension to nearly between eyes; an oblique double bar (front bar dark, rear bar white) down and back from eye; usually a white blotch on upper rear part of operculum; inside mouth unpigmented: upper back grey-brown, with a series of ~7-10 white, dark-edged saddles along midline of back, sides paler, flecked with dark marks; often 2 dark stripes along straight rear part of lateral line and above anal fin.
Size: attains 5.6 cm.
Inhabits sand bottoms, including in tide pools.
Depth: 0.2-17 m.
The Revillagigedo islands.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom only
- Beach
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- No Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
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- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Mobile benthic worms
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- No Data
- Egg Type
-
- Benthic
- No data
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- East Pacific endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Revillagigedo Islands endemic
- TEP oceanic island (s) endemic
- TEP endemic
- Island (s) only
- Island (s)
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Vulnerable
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 5.6
- Depth Range Min
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- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 17