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Species: Ogcocephalus darwini, Galapagos batfish

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horn: few hairs
flank no fringe of hairs
skin with few large spiny knobs

Ogcocephalus darwini Hubbs, 1958

Galapagos batfish

Head depressed but elevated above disk; disc triangular; snout pointed, with a horn-like rostrum, that has a few short hairs; fish-lure with 3 fleshy points, in a small cavity under horn; spine at lower rear corner of operculum blunt or little developed; gill rakers are oval plates covered with small teeth; eyes on sides of head; gill opening high, above pectoral fin base; pectoral and pelvic fins limb-like, pectorals completely separated from body; skin covered dorsal fin on tail, small fleshy anal fin under tail; skin with few, small protruding bony plates; flank without fringe of hairs; underside of body completely covered with pointed, bony scales underside of tail densely covered with small prickles, with sometimes a few conical spines along midline.

Light brown to greyish on back, white below; snout and rostrum dark brown to red brown;  lips bright red; a dark brown stripe (sometimes broken) from top of head to caudal fin base on each side.

Grows to about 25 cm.

Inhabits sand and rubble bottoms.

Range is 5-120 m, but usually in 10-20 m.

Endemic to the Galapagos Islands.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom only
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Sand & gravel
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Rocks
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
  • Reef and soft bottom
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
  • Data
  • Mobile benthic worms
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
Egg Type
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
  • No data
Global Endemism
  • Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
  • All species
  • East Pacific endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Island (s) only
  • Galapagos Islands endemic
  • Island (s)
  • TEP endemic
  • All species
  • TEP oceanic island (s) endemic
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 25
Depth Range Min
  • 5
Depth Range Max
  • 120