Opistognathus macrognathus
Banded Jawfish
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Opistognathidae (Jawfishes)
Opistognathus
Opistognathus macrognathus (Banded Jawfish)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Maxilla extended as a lamina; anterior naris at end of short tube with a simple, flattened cirrus on posterior rim; outer jaw teeth moderately large, conical, and recurved; inner jaw teeth strongly recurved and arranged in two or three irregular rows; vomer with one or two large, blunt teeth; gill rakers on first arch 31-43; measurements (% SL): head length 32%-44%, eye diameter 10%-14%, upper jaw length 19%-25% in females and 24%-39% in males, pelvic fin length 15%-22%, caudal fin length 17%-22%, body depth 17%-24%; pectoral fin rays 19-22; dorsal fin spines 10-12 and rays 15-17; anal fin spines 2 or 3 (usually 3) and rays 15 or 16; caudal fin rounded to slightly pointed; body covered with cycloid scales; scales in horizontal series behind opercular flap 97-110; lateral line near dorsal fin base; vertebrae 28-30 (10 precaudal and 18-20 caudal)
Tan with four to six dark brown blotches on base of dorsal fin and flank; upper and lower blotches occasionally joined; dark blotch occasionally present on outer part of dorsal fin between sixth and ninth spines; males with two dark bands, separated by a white band, on underside of maxilla
Distribution
Western Atlantic from southern Florida and the Bahamas to northern South America, including the Antilles; reported once from the eastern Gulf of Mexico (record questionable)
Habitat Associations
Mixed sand and gravelly bottoms; depth range 0.5-44 m
Burrows in substrate
Biology
Maximum known size 100 mm TL
Inhabits sandy bottoms near coral reefs (Ref. 9710). Feeds on gastropods, crabs and fishes (Ref. 13628). Monogamous (Ref. 52884). Oviparous, mouthbrooding by males (Ref. 205).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; mating system: monogamy; bearers (external brooders); parental care: paternal. Displays facultative monogamy where males are constrained to mate with a single female due to resource limitation (Ref. 52884). Males incubate the eggs in the mouth (Ref. 205).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2012-01-23.
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial.
References
Jordan and Evermann 1898
Longley and Hildebrand 1940
Longley and Hildebrand 1941 (both as Opistognathus fasciatus)
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968 (as O. fasciatus)
Robins and Ray 1986
Randall 1996
Smith-Vaniz 1997
Smith-Vaniz 2002b
Randall, J.E. (1967) Food habits of reef fishes of the West Indies. Stud. Trop. Oceanogr. Miami 5:665-847.
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Nelson, J.S. (1984) Fishes of the world. 2nd edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York. 523 p.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Cervigón, F. (1994) Los peces marinos de Venezuela. Volume 3. Fundación Científica Los Roques, Caracas,Venezuela. 295 p.
Smith-Vaniz, W.F. (1997) Five new species of jawfishes (Opistognathus: Opistognathidae) from the western Atlantic ocean. Bull. Mar. Sci. 60(3):1074-1128.
Smith, C.L. (1997) National Audubon Society field guide to tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p.
Whiteman, E.A. and I.M. Côté (2004) Monogamy in marine fishes. Biol. Rev. 79:351-375.
Comments On Opistognathus macrognathus