Description

Dorsal spines (total): 11 - 12; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 11; Vertebrae: 26. This species is distinguished by the following characters: with a rigid upper jaw lacking flexible lamina posteriorly, extending about 1.2 to 1.5 eye diameters behind posterior margin of orbit; infraorbitals are very broad and robust, the third infraorbital with no suborbital shelf; D XI-XII, 12 (usually XI,12); A II,11; vertebrae 10+16; scale rows in horizontal series 56-67; total gill rakers 41-44. Colouration: in life, body with 5-7 violet-blue stripes and head with prominent violet-blue blotches (Ref, 128653).

Common Names

No common names available.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Ovalentaria/misc

Family: Opistognathidae

Genus: Opistognathus

Species: Opistognathus decorus Smith-Vaniz & Yoshino, 1985

Climate Zone

Location

Biology

This species is probably a deep-water species, similar to its sister-species Opistognathus aurolineatus (reflected in the depth range given) (Ref. 128653). Mouthbrooders (Ref. 240).

Habitat

demersal