Opisthognathidae

Jawfishes
Yellow-headed jawfish,
Opistognathus aurifrons
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Opistognathidae
Genera

Lonchopishtus
Merogymnoides
Opistognathus
Stalix
See text for species.

Opistognathidae (opisto = "behind", gnath = "mouth"), commonly referred to as jawfishes, are classified within the order Perciformes, suborder Percoidei. They are found throughout shallow reef areas of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and the Gulf of Mexico.

Physically similar to blennies, jawfish are generally smaller-sized fish with an elongated body plan. Their heads, mouths, and eyes are large in size relative to the rest of their bodies. Jawfishes possess a single, long dorsal fin with 9-12 spines and a caudal fin that can be either rounded or pointed.

Jawfishes typically reside in burrows they construct in sandy substrate. They will stuff their mouths with sand and spit it out elsewhere, slowly creating a tunnel. Using the protection of these burrows, these fish will hover, feeding on plankton or other small organisms, ready to dart back in at the first sign of danger. They are territorial of the area around their burrows.

Jawfishes are mouthbrooders, meaning their eggs hatch in their mouths, where the newborn fry are protected from predators.

The gestation period varies between species. Goldspec jawfish (Opisthognagthus sp.) typically keep their clutch of eggs for 8-10 days before hatching.

Species

As of 2006, 60 species in four genera are described, with many species thought to be undescribed:

  • Genus Lonchopisthus
    • Lonchopisthus higmani Mead, 1959.
    • Lonchopisthus lemur (Myers, 1935).
    • Lonchopisthus lindneri Ginsburg, 1942.
    • Swordtail jawfish, Lonchopisthus micrognathus (Poey, 1860).
    • Longtailed jawfish, Lonchopisthus sinuscalifornicus Castro-Aguirre & Villavicencio-Garayzar, 1988.
  • Genus Merogymnoides
    • Merogymnoides carpentariae Whitley, 1966.
  • Genus Opistognathus
    • Opistognathus adelus Smith-Vaniz, 2010.
    • Yellowhead jawfish, Opistognathus aurifrons (Jordan & Thompson, 1905).
    • Darkfin jawfish, Opistognathus brasiliensis Smith-Vaniz, 1997.
    • Opistognathus castelnaui Bleeker, 1860.
    • Bartail jawfish, Opistognathus cuvierii Valenciennes, 1836.
    • Darwin jawfish, Opistognathus darwiniensis (Macleay, 1878).
    • Opistognathus decorus Smith-Vaniz & Yoshino, 1985.
    • Opistognathus dendriticus (Jordan & Richardson, 1908).
    • Opistognathus evermanni (Jordan & Snyder, 1902).
    • Opistognathus eximius (Ogilby, 1908).
    • Opistognathus fenmutis Acero P. & Franke, 1993.
    • Galapagos jawfish, Opistognathus galapagensis Allen & Robertson, 1991.
    • Yellow jawfish, Opistognathus gilberti Böhlke, 1967.
    • Opistognathus hongkongiensis (Chan, 1968).
    • Opistognathus hopkinsi (Jordan & Snyder, 1902).
    • Black jawfish, Opistognathus inornatus (Ramsay & Ogilby, 1887).
    • Opistognathus iyonis (Jordan & Thompson, 1913).
    • Smiler, Opistognathus jacksoniensis (Macleay, 1881).
    • Blotched jawfish, Opistognathus latitabundus (Whitley, 1937).
    • Roughcheek jawfish, Opistognathus leprocarus Smith-Vaniz, 1997.
    • Opistognathus liturus Smith-Vaniz & Yoshino, 1985.
    • Moustache jawfish, Opistognathus lonchurus (Jordan & Gilbert, 1882).
    • Banded jawfish, Opistognathus macrognathus (Poey, 1860).
    • Opistognathus macrolepis (Peters, 1866).
    • Halfscaled jawfish, Opistognathus margaretae Smith-Vaniz, 1984.
    • Mottled jawfish, Opistognathus maxillosus (Poey, 1860).
    • Largesacle jawfish, Opistognathus megalepis Smith-Vaniz, 1972.
    • Yellowmouth jawfish, Opistognathus melachasme Smith-Vaniz, 1972.
    • Mexican jawfish, Opistognathus mexicanus Allen & Robertson, 1991.
    • Robust jawfish, Opistognathus muscatensis (Boulenger, 1887).
    • Birdled jawfish, Opistognathus nigromarginatus Rüppell, 1830.
    • Opistognathus nothus Smith-Vaniz, 1997.
    • Panamanian jawfish, Opistognathus panamaensis Allen & Robertson, 1991.
    • Papuan jawfish, Opistognathus papuensis (Bleeker, 1868).
    • Finespotted jawfish, Opistognathus punctatus (Peters, 1869).
    • Randalls jawfish, Opistognathus randalli
    • Leopard jawfish, Opistognathus reticulatus (McKay, 1969).
    • Giant jawfish, Opistognathus rhomaleus (Jordan & Gilbert, 1882).
    • Spotfin jawfish, Opistognathus robinsi Smith-Vaniz, 1997.
    • Opistognathus rosenbergii Bleeker, 1857.
    • Blue-spotted jawfish, Opistognathus rosenblatti Allen & Robertson, 1991.
    • Opistognathus rufilineatus Smith-Vaniz & Allen, 2007[1]
    • Bullseye jawfish, Opistognathus scops (Jenkins & Evermann, 1889).
    • Opistognathus signatus Smith-Vaniz, 1997.
    • Opistognathus solorensis Bleeker, 1853.
    • Dusky jawfish, Opistognathus whitehursti (Longley, 1927).
  • Genus Stalix
    • Stalix davidsheni Klausewitz, 1985.
    • Stalix dicra Smith-Vaniz, 1989.
    • Stalix eremia Smith-Vaniz, 1989.
    • Stalix flavida Smith-Vaniz, 1989.
    • Stalix histrio Jordan & Snyder, 1902.
    • Stalix immaculata Xu & Zhan, 1980.
    • Stalix moenensis (Popta, 1922).
    • Oman jawfish, Stalix omanensis Norman, 1939.
    • Stalix sheni Smith-Vaniz, 1989.
    • Stalix toyoshio Shinohara, 1999.
    • Stalix versluysi (Weber, 1913).
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References

  1. ^ Smith-Vaniz & Allen (2007). "Opistognathus rufilineatus, a new species of jawfish (Opistognathidae) from the Bird's Head Peninsula, western New Guinea". Aqua (Miradolo Terme) 13 (1): 35–42. 
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Last modified on 26 February 2013, at 16:06