Species: Synodus lacertinus, Banded lizardfish, Calico lizardfish, Reef lizardfish, Sauro lizardfish
snout short
lower side: 10-12 round blotches
D1 & C: bars
Synodus lacertinus Gilbert, 1890
Calico lizardfish, Reef lizardfish, Banded lizardfish, Sauro lizardfish
Body moderately elongate, its depth 5.9-6.5 in SL; snout short, not protruding; eye large; lower jaw not ending in a fleshy knob; mouth large, slightly oblique, at front; many rows fine pointed teeth on jaws, tongue and (in 1 band) on side of roof of mouth; gill membrane under operculum with 15-18 rays; fins without spines; one dorsal fin in midbody, 11-12, with a small skin-flap fin behind it above anal fin, dorsal fin origin further from adipose fin than snout tip; anal fin 8-9 rays, its base shorter than base of dorsal fin; pelvics on abdomen behind pectoral base, with 8 rays, inner rays distinctly longer than outer rays; scales smooth; lateral-line scales 59-63; bases of rays of tail fin completely scaleless; lateral line straight, along entire body
Mottled brown to reddish on upper half, white below; back with about 8 brown or red saddle-like markings, these usually extending on to mid-side as irregular bars; lower side with 10-12 red to brown blotches; dorsal and tail fins with narrow dark bars.
Size: grows to 23.5 cm.
A common inhabitant of sand-rubble near reefs.
Depth: areas near reefs in 1-156 m.
Southern California and the lower 2/3 of the Gulf of California to central Chile, the Revillagigedos, Galapagos, Cocos and Malpelo.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Reef and soft bottom
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Rocks
- Sand & gravel
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Data
- Egg Type
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- No data
- Pelagic larva
- Pelagic
- Global Endemism
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- East Pacific endemic
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- All species
- Regional Endemism
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- TEP endemic
- All species
- Continent
- Continent + Island (s)
- Island (s)
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- South Temperate (Peruvian Province )
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 23.5
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 156
