Description

Dorsal spines (total): 10 - 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13 - 14; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 11 - 13; Vertebrae: 26 - 27. This species is distinguished by the following characters: a rigid upper jaw lacking flexible lamina posteriorly, extending about 0.6-0.9 eye diameters behind posterior margin of orbit; infraorbitals are relatively slender and tubular, the third infraorbital with moderate lateral opening and wide suborbital shelf; D X-XI,13-14; A II,11-13; scale rows in horizontal series 66-95; vertebrae 10-11 (usually 11) + 16-17. Colouration: dorsum with 6-7 dark blotches along base of dorsal fin, sides with a double row of large pale spots, and spinous dorsal fin with a single black spot between spines 3 to 5-7 (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 dendriticus (Jordan & Richardson, 1908)

Climate Zone

Location

Biology

Mouthbrooders. Eggs which are clumped together in a sticky ball get incubated inside the parent's mouth (Ref. 40511).

Habitat

associated