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); brasiliensis: Named after Brazil, along whose coast this species appears to be endemic (Ref. 26893).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; depth range 15 - 69 m (Ref. 129348). Subtropical
Southwest Atlantic: Brazil.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 12.9 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26893)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 16; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 15 - 16; Vertebrae: 28. Anterior nostril a short tube with 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 a very narrow white ring; dorsal fin with 5 or 6 dusky bands that extend onto dorsum; adult males with inner lining of maxilla and adjacent membranes with 2 dark stripes, one stripe in females; pectoral fin uniformly pigmented, no black speckles proximally; buccal pigmentation consisting of a dark area widely surrounding esophageal opening except for a pale area posteriorly that continues between upper pharyngeal tooth patches; caudal vertebrae 8 (Ref. 26893).
Founf on bottoms with gravel and sand or on silt and sand bottoms, near coral reefs and rocky areas (Ref. 129348). Mouthbrooders (Ref. 240).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Employ mouthbrooding to care for their young (Ref. 240).
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: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: bycatch
Tools
Special reports
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 20.2 - 23.1, mean 21.7 °C (based on 5 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): 3.5 ±0.6 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
