Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
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); brochus: Name from the Latin word 'brochus' meaning projecting, referring to its protruding teeth.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; depth range 20 - 82 m (Ref. 75633). Tropical
Eastern Pacific: upper Gulf of California and Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 5.4 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 75633); 4.3 cm SL (female)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 12; Vertebrae: 26. This small (3.9-5.4 cm SL), slender species possess the following combination of characters: dark speckling on head and body; dusky dorsal and anal fins, several black blotches on dorsal fin; short maxilla (0.5-0.9 eye diameters beyond orbit), truncate; long and slender teeth; D 13, A III; 49-57 oblique scale rows in longitudinal series; 28(29)-31 pores in lateral line series; gill rakers on lower limb of first arch 15 (17)-18; anterior nostril with a short tube without cirrus; 16 caudal vertebrae 16 (Ref. 75633).
Collected by otter trawls and dredge. Female specimens at 3.85 and 4.32 cm SL are gravid (Ref. 75633).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Bussing, W.A. and R.J. Lavenberg, 2003. Four new species of eastern tropical Pacific jawfishes (Opistognathus: Opistognathidae). Rev. Biol. Trop. 51(2):529-550. (Ref. 75633)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: bycatch
Tools
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
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): 3.3 ±0.5 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).