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 & Thompson.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 3 - 40 m (Ref. 9710), usually 3 - 40 m (Ref. 27115). Tropical; 22°C - 28°C (Ref. 27115); 32°N - 23°S, 100°W - 29°W
Western Central Atlantic: southern Florida, USA and Bahamas to Barbados and northern South America.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 10.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7251)
Inhabit burrows made of crushed coral or sand. Hovers vertically, above or near its hole. The male courts the female by swimming in an arched position with his fins spread towards her (Ref. 9710). Male broods the eggs orally (Ref. 5521). Has been reared in captivity (Ref. 35427).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Mouthbrooders. Eggs which are clumped together in a sticky ball get incubated inside the male's mouth (Ref. 5521). Monogamous mating is observed irrespective of resource abundance (Ref. 52884).
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. (Ref. 7251)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial
Tools
Special reports
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 24.7 - 28, mean 27 °C (based on 402 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): 3.0 ±0.1 se; based on diet studies.
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 127 [66, 225] mg/100g; Iron = 0.86 [0.51, 1.48] mg/100g; Protein = 17.9 [16.7, 19.0] %; Omega3 = 0.0953 [, ] g/100g; Selenium = 28.1 [12.6, 60.7] μg/100g; VitaminA = 222 [67, 762] μg/100g; Zinc = 2.13 [1.39, 3.07] mg/100g (wet weight);
