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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).
More on authors: Jordan & Gilbert.

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

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 10 - 91 m (Ref. 129348). Tropical; - 6°N

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Western Atlantic: South Carolina, Gulf of Mexico, Greater Antilles and northern South America to Brazil.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 12.2 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 129348)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12 - 13; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 12. This species is distinguished by he following set of characters: anterior nostril is a short tube without a cirrus on posterior rim; posterior end of maxilla is rigid, not produced as a thin flexible lamina; with supramaxilla; subopercle without a broad, fan-like flap; most of nape without sensory pores; D XI,12-13, with spines thin and flexible, usually curved distally, the tips without pale, slightly swollen tabs, and anterior 5-8 soft rays unbranched; dorsal fin sexually dimorphic, fin rays distinctly higher in large males; A III, 12, with 7-10 anterior rays unbranched; outermost segmented pelvic-fin ray tightly bound to adjacent ray and interradial membrane not incised distally; body with 63-87 oblique scales in longitudinal series; vertebrae 10+16; supraneurals 1; gill rakers 13-17 + 22-28 = 35-45; dentary without large canines. Colouration: head and body brown to greenish-tan; the upper lip blue; body with two narrow blue stripes on side; distal margins of dorsal and anal fins are with narrow blue stripe; outer margin of caudal fin and outer ray of pelvic fin blue (Ref. 129348).

Occur in rubble-sand bottoms near coral reefs and rocky areas. and it has been observed in burrows or resting on the bottom (Ref. 129348).

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Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Smith-Vaniz, W.F,, L. Tornabene and R.M. Macieira, 2018. Review of Brazilian jawfishes of the genus Opistognathus with descriptions of two new species (Teleostei, Opistognathidae). ZooKeys No. 794: 95-133. (Ref. 129348)

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

Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial

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Estimates based on models

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): 3.5 ±0.6 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives

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

Price category (Ref. 80766): Unknown.

Opistognathus lonchurus Jordan & Gilbert, 1882