Red-Lined Jawfish, Opistognathus rufilineatus Smith-Vaniz & Allen 2007

Summary:

A yellowish-brown jawfish with scattered spots and lines on the head, and narrow reddish-brown stripes along the body scale rows.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2017, Opistognathus rufilineatus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 06 Dec 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/2711

Red-Lined Jawfish, Opistognathus rufilineatus Smith-Vaniz & Allen 2007

More Info

Distribution	Mermaid Reef area west of Broome, Western Australia. Elsewhere the species occurs in West Papua, Indonesia. Inhabits silty rubble areas near reefs.
Biology	Jawfishes form monogamous pairs, with males and females living in separate but adjacent burrows. Spawning occurs within the burrow following an elaborate courtship. The male incubates the egg mass in his mouth for up to a week before the larvae hatch. Larvae spend 2-3 weeks in the plankton before settling back to the reef.
Species Citation	Opistognathus rufilineatus Smith-Vaniz & Allen 2007, Aqua, J. Ichthyol. Aquat. Biol. 13(1): 37, figs 2-5. Type locality: North Triton Bay, Barat Province, Papua, Indonesia, 34°47'01"S, 134°09'55"E.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2017
Resources	Australian Faunal Directory

Red-Lined Jawfish, Opistognathus rufilineatus Smith-Vaniz & Allen 2007

References

Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.

Smith-Vaniz, W.F. and G.R. Allen, 2007. Opistognathus rufilineatus, a new species of jawfish (Opistognathidae) from the Bird's Head Peninsula, western New Guinea. aqua Int. J. Ichthyol. 13(1):35-42.