Variegated Lizardfish, Synodus variegatus (Lacépède 1803)

Other Names: Engleman's Lizardfish, Reef Lizardfish, Scaly-cheek Lizardfish

A Variegated Lizardfish, Synodus variegatus, in Comets Hole, Lord Howe Island lagoon, January 2009. Source: John Turnbull / Flickr. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Summary:

A greyish to whitish lizardfish with about six reddish to brown bars or saddles along the back and upper side usually joining smaller blotches along the side giving a hour-glass appearance, and whitish dashes along the lower midside.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2024, Synodus variegatus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 19 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/2780

Variegated Lizardfish, Synodus variegatus (Lacépède 1803)

More Info

Distribution	Houtman Abrolhos to Berthier Island and offshore reefs of north Western Australia, and Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island in the Timor Sea, and the far northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, and reefs in the Coral Sea, to Montague Island, southern New South Wales; also Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean, the Lord Howe region and Norfolk Island in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere the species is widespread in the Indo-west-central Pacific. Inhabits coastal and offshore reefs and usually seen perching on corals or rocks.
Features	Dorsal fin 10-14; Anal fin 8-10; Scale rows above lateral line 5.5.
Feeding	Feeds on fishes and crustaceans (shrimp).
Similar Species	Although the similar Twospot Lizardfish, Synodus binotatus, also has two dark spots on the snout, it has larger scales, with 3.5 scales rows above the lateral line (vs. 5.5 in S. variegatus). In addition, the scales of S. variegatus usually have a dark margin, giving a diamond or mosaic pattern. S. binotatus also has a series of more rounded blotches along the side (vs. blotches more rectangular in shape in S. variegatus).
Etymology	The specific name is from the Latin variegatus (= of various colours), in reference to the variable colour pattern of this species.
Species Citation	Salmo variegatus Lacepède 1803, Hist. Nat. Poiss. 5: 157, pl. 3(3). Type locality: Mauritius, Mascarenes, southwestern Indian Ocean.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2024
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Variegated Lizardfish, Synodus variegatus (Lacépède 1803)

References

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Allen, G.R. & Steene, R.C. 1979. The Fishes of Christmas Island, Indian Ocean. Aust. Natl. Parks Wldlf. Ser. Spec. Publ. 2. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service 81 pp. 15 pls.

Allen, G.R., Steene, R.C. & Orchard, M. 2007. Fishes of Christmas Island. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 2 edn, 284 pp.

Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls.

Choat, J.H., van Herwerden, L., Robbins, W.D., Hobbs, J.P. & Ayling, A.M. 2006. A report on the ecological surveys undertaken at Middleton and Elizabeth Reefs, February 2006. Report by James Cook University to the Department of the Environment and Heritage. 65 pp.

Cressey, R. 1981. Revision of the Indo-west Pacific lizardfishes of the genus Synodus (Pisces : Synodontidae). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 342: 1-53 figs 1-44, https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.342 (as Synodus engelmani and S. variegatus)

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Hobbs, J-P.A., Newman, S .J., Mitsopoulos, G.E.A., Travers, M.J., Skepper, C.L., Gilligan, J.J., Allen, G.R., Choat, H.J. & Ayling, A.M. 2014. Fishes of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands: new records, community composition and biogeographic significance. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 30: 203–219 https://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/rbz/supplement-no-30/

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Johnson, J.W. 2010. Fishes of the Moreton Bay Marine Park and adjacent continental shelf waters, Queensland, Australia. pp. 299-353 in Davie, P.J.F. & Phillips, J.A. Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Marine Biological Workshop, The Marine Fauna and Flora of Moreton Bay. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 54(3)

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Lacepède, B.G. 1803. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : chez Plassan Vol. 5 803 pp. 21 pls. See ref at BHL

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Russell, B.C. 1999. Families Synodontidae, Bathysauridae. pp. 1928-1947 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 pp. 1397-2068.

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