Common names from other countries
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); signatus: From the Latin 'signatus' meaning marked, in reference to the prominent dark scale spots (Ref. 26893).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; depth range 27 - 68 m (Ref. 26893). Tropical
Western Central Atlantic: Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 8.9 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26893)
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 (Ref. 26893).
Known only from coastal waters (Ref. 26893).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae
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)
CITES (Ref. 128078)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
115969): 24.4 - 27.6, mean 26.9 (based on 10 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 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).