Opistognathus vigilax, Watchful jawfish

Opistognathus vigilax Smith-Vaniz, 2023

Watchful jawfish
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drawing shows typical species in Opistognathidae.

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); vigilax: Name 'vigilax' from the Latin genitive adjective meaning 'watchful', in allusion to the day-time behavior of the species in the genus in maintaining an almost continuous lookout for potential food organisms passing in close vicinity of their burrows.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; demersal; depth range 16 - 70 m (Ref. 128653). Tropical

Distribution Territories | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Western Central Pacific: Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, and Australia.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 4.5 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 128653)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 10 - 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11 - 12; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 10 - 11; Vertebrae: 26. This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following set of characters: rigid upper jaw with no flexible lamina posteriorly, extending 0.5-0.9 eye diameters behind posterior margin of orbit in specimens 32.0-45.0 mm SL; infraorbitals relatively slender and tubular, all except lacrimal open laterally, 3rd infraorbital with short posterolateral projecting arm, no suborbital shelf; D X-XI, 11-12 (exceptionally 10); A II, 10-11; vertebrae 10+16; total gill rakers 26-30; shoulder above pectoral-fin base with dark spot approximately equal pupil diameter; small dark blotch on inner surface of pale mouth behind dark part of each dentary; dorsal fin with a prominent partial ocellus with inner dark spot beginning at spine 2 or 3 and ending between spines 3-5. (Ref. 128653).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated; Cross section: compressed.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

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 2025-2)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 17 September 2024

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: of no interest
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items (preys)
Diet composition
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Ecology
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Length-weight rel.
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References

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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search |