Dark-spotted Jawfish

📖 Overview

Dark-spotted Jawfish (Opistognathus signatus), first described by Vaniz, 1997 is a small fish in the family Opistognathidae (order Perciformes). Adults typically reach 8.90 cm in maximum length. It inhabits marine coastal and open-ocean environments. Recorded depth range: 27 to 68 metres. It occurs in Tropical waters. It feeds on a mix of small fish and invertebrates as a mid-level predator. On the IUCN Red List, it is classified as Least Concern.

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 10 - 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 16 - 17; Anal spines: 2 - 3; Anal soft rays: 16 - 17; Vertebrae: 29 - 30. Anterior nostril a short tube simple cirrus on posterior rim; posterior end of maxilla of adult males produced as a thin flexible lamina that usually extends beyond posterior margin of opercle; spinous dorsal fin with black spot encircled by broad whit ring; adult males with inner lining of maxilla and adjacent membranes with prominent black stripe (stripe usually absent or light brown and poorly developed in females); buccal pigmentation consisting of a large dark area widely surrounding esophageal opening, including medial area between upper pharyngeal tooth patches; caudal vertebrae 19 or 20, usually 20 .: elongated.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Dark-spotted Jawfish is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

🥚 Reproduction

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; demersal; depth range 27 - 68 m . Tropical Central Atlantic: Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela.

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🌐 Names & Taxonomy

🐠 Related Species

🔍 Similar Species

🗺️ Global Occurrence Map

Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 2 records indexed .

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