Common Name
Marked Jawfish
Year Described
Smith-Vaniz, 1997
Identification
Dorsal Fin: X-XI, 16-17
Anal Fin: II-III, 16-17
Pelvic Fin: I, 5
Pectoral Fin: 19-21
Gill Rakers: 28-34 (total)
Vertebrae: 10 precaudal, 19-20 caudal; 29-30 total
Maxilla of males with thin, flexible posterior extension. Jaws large; reaching well past rear margin of orbit. Premaxillary and dentary with teeth. Vomer with 1-2 teeth. Lateral line extends posteriorly to between 1st and 3rd segmented dorsal ray. Nape, head, pectoral base, and anterior area above lateral line scaleless. Rest of body fully scaled, including posterior area above lateral line. Lateral scale rows: 57-70. Dorsal fin spines slender with sharp, flexible tips. Anterior nostril with a short cirrus.
Color
Body pale to medium brown with variably sized white spots and mottling (becoming uniformly white below). Random widely spaced body scales with black spots on them. Head brown with small whitish speckling. Lips banded with brown. Males with one band on the inside of the maxilla (female with stripe diffuse or absent). Dorsal and anal fins dark brown with numerous white spots. Ocellus on dorsal fin between spines 3 and 7. Caudal fin dark with two basal white spots and two bands consisting of white spots.
Size
Individuals range from 39-90mm SL.
Habitat
Found in moderately deep water, from 27-68m. Lives in burrows.
Range
Known from the southern Caribbean: off Nicaragua, Panama, and Colombia.
References
Smith-Vaniz, W. F. 1997. Five new species of jawfishes (Opistognathus: Opistognathidae) from the western Atlantic Ocean. Bulletin of Marine Science v. 60 (3): 1074-1128.