- Classification
- ACTINOPTERYGII
- AULOPIFORMES
- SYNODONTIDAE
- Synodus
- rubromarmoratus
Redmarbled Lizardfish, Synodus rubromarmoratus Russell & Cressey 1979
Other Names: Red-marbled Lizardfish

Illustration of a Redmarbled Lizardfish, Synodus rubromarmoratus, from Mrs Watsons Bay, Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland - USNM 218792. Source: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Division of Fishes. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Cite this page as:
Synodus rubromarmoratus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 10 Jul 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/3998
Redmarbled Lizardfish, Synodus rubromarmoratus Russell & Cressey 1979
More Info
Distribution |
Possibly endemic to the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland. S. rubromarmoratus was previously considered to be widespread in the Indo-west Pacific. However, Furuhashi & Motomura (2025) described the similar S. autumnus, and reidentified most Australian material as that species. |
Colour |
Body mottled with red. Five broad undulated bars extend from middorsal line down to lower half of sides, dark reddish on dorsum, paling to reddish brown on sides. Interspaces mottled with pale reddish brown, a large brownish blotch separating 2 pairs of whitish spots in interspaces on lower part of sides, the spots forming a horizontal row along either side of body. Ventral region pale, whitish. Head reddish brown, cheeks and occipital region bright red. Eye reddish, pupil red, edged with yellow. Fins with 4-5 narrow indistinct transverse reddish bands, adipose fin red. |
Etymology |
The specific name is from the Latin rubeus (= red, reddish) and marmoratus (= marbled), "in reference to the characteristic red marbled coloration of the living fish". |
Species Citation |
Synodus rubromarmoratus Russell & Cressey 1979, Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 92(1): . 172, fig. 3. Type locality: Lizard Island, Queensland. |
Resources |
Redmarbled Lizardfish, Synodus rubromarmoratus Russell & Cressey 1979
References
Cressey, R.F. 1981. Revision of Indo-West Pacific lizardfishes of the genus Synodus (Pisces: Synodontidae). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 342: i-iii + 1-53. http://dx.doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.342
Furuhashi, R. & Motomura, H. 2025. Synodus autumnus, a new species of lizardfish (Aulopiformes, Synodontidae) from the Indo-Pacific region, and a reassessment of distributional records of Synodus rubromarmoratus. ZooKeys 1243: 191-206. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1243.147259