Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Ovalentaria/misc (Various families in series Ovalentaria) >
Opistognathidae (Jawfishes)
Etymology: Opistognathus: Greek, opisthe = behind + Greek, gnathos = jaw (Ref. 45335); to the very elongate upper jaw of the type species of the genus, Opistognathus nigromarginatus (Ref. 128653); parvus: Name 'parvus' from the Latin word meaning 'little', in reference to the diminutive size of this jawfish.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; depth range 3 - 40 m (Ref. 128653). Tropical
Indo-West Pacific: Japan, Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, American Samoa, and Fiji Islands.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 3.1 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 128653)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11 - 13; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 11 - 12; Vertebrae: 27. This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following set of characters: rigid upper jaw with no flexible lamina posteriorly, extending about 0.5 to 0.7 eye diameters behind posterior margin of orbit; infraorbitals all trough-like, open laterally, no suborbital shelf; D X-XI, 11-13 (typically 12); A II, 11 or 12; vertebrae 10+17-18; spinous dorsal fin with an incomplete ocellus between spines 3-6; body scales densely speckled with large melanophores, especially in males (Ref. 128653).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated; Cross section: compressed.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Smith-Vaniz, W.F., 2023. Review of Indo-West Pacific jawfishes (Opistognathus: Opistognathidae), with descriptions of 18 new species. Zootaxa 5252(1):1-180. (Ref. 128653)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
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