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); albomaculatus: Name from Greek 'albo' for white and 'maculatus' for spotted; referring to the double row of spots on the sides.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 37 m (Ref. 128653). Tropical
Western Pacific: Philippines, Indonesia, Solomon (Santa Cruz islands).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 5.7 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 128653)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 19 - 21; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 18 - 20; Vertebrae: 29. This species is distinguished by the following characters: a rigid upper jaw lacking flexible lamina posteriorly, extending 0.4-0.6 eye diameters behind posterior margin of orbit; infraorbitals are relatively robust, the third infraorbital with very large sensory canal openings and moderate suborbital shelf; D X,19-21; A II,18-20; vertebrae 10+19; body with about 35-38 scale rows in horizontal series, no scales anterolaterally forward of
verticals from segmented dorsal-fin rays 5–7; no vomerine teeth; body scale rows pigmented appearing to form a well-defined dark, horizontal rows that are separated by narrow pale interspaces; head and body are with large white blotches, and pale median fins with brown stripe on outer half of spinous dorsal fin and middle of soft dorsal
and anal fins; pectoral-fin base with dark a crescent shaped like a reversed letter “C” that extends from dorsal margin of opercle and curves downward opposite bases of pectoral rays to near ventral margin of fin; iris with dark bars radiating from pupil (Ref. 128653).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Smith-Vaniz, W.F., 2023. Review of Indo-West Pacific jawfishes (Opistognathus: Opistognathidae), with descriptions of 18 new species. Zootaxa 5252(1):1-180. (Ref. 128653)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = No PD50 data [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).