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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); leprocarus: From the Greek 'lepros' meaning scaly and 'kara' meaning head, in reference to the well developed cephalic squamation (Ref. 26893).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 165 - 308 m (Ref. 26893). Deep-water

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Western Central Atlantic: known only from the Bahamas and the Lesser Antilles, including Anegada Passage, between Virgin Islands and Anguilla (ANSP 138563).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 8.1 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26893)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 10 - 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11 - 13; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 11 - 12; Vertebrae: 26. Anterior nostril a short tube without cirrus on posterior rim; posterior end of maxilla rigid, without thin flexible lamina; opercle with prominent wedge-shaped dark blotch; buccal cavity and inner lining of maxilla and adjacent membranes immaculate; dorsal fin spines slender, straight, with rigid sharp tip; nape completely scaled; cheeks with 4 or 5 rows of scales; segmented anal fin rays 11 or 12; caudal vertebrae 16; pelvic fins elongate in adults 39-49% SL with tip of depressed fin extending posteriorly well past anal fin origin (Ref. 26893).

Observed using shells and rubble to close their burrow opening (Ref. 26893).

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Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Smith-Vaniz, W.F., 1997. Five new species of jawfishes (Opistognathus: Opistognathidae) from the western Atlantic ocean. Bull. Mar. Sci. 60(3):1074-1128. (Ref. 26893)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 23 August 2012

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 14 - 22.7, mean 19 °C (based on 16 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00389 (0.00180 - 0.00842), b=3.12 (2.94 - 3.30), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.4 ±0.6 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).

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Opistognathus leprocarus Smith-Vaniz, 1997