Castelnau's Jawfish, Opistognathus castelnaui Bleeker 1860
Castelnau's Jawfish, Opistognathus castelnaui, at Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia. Source: Gerald R. Allen / FishBase. License: All rights reserved
A yellowish jawfish with a reticulated pattern forming 3-4 irregular brown stripes and indistinct narrow vertical brown lines, and large dark brown blotches along the base of the dorsal fin.
Jawfishes excavate large elaborate burrows, using their enormous jaws to scoop out sand and rubble.
Males incubate the eggs in their mouths.
Castelnau's Jawfish, Opistognathus castelnaui Bleeker 1860
More Info
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Distribution |
Recorded in Australian waters from just north of Cartier Island, off Western Australia, and from the northern Great Barrier Reef to at least the Whitsunday Islands, Queensland. Elsewhere, the species occurs in the tropical western Pacific - Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, north to the Ryukyu Island, Japan. Inhabits burrows in 1-70 metres. |
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Features |
Dorsal fin XI, 14; Anal fin III, 14; Pectoral fin 19-21; Oblique scale rows ~90-110; Gill rakers (total first arch) 28-35. ; Posterior end of upper jaw produced as a thin flexible lamina. |
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Colour |
Yellowish with a reticulated pattern formed form 3-4 irregular brown stripes and indistinct narrow vertical brown lines;dorsal fin with large dark brown blotches along base; membranes inside upper jaw with one or two conspicuous black stripes. |
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Feeding |
Feed mostly on zooplankton. |
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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. |
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Etymology |
Opistognathus is from the Greek opisthe meaning 'behind', and gnathos meaning 'jaw' in reference to the very long jaws. The species is named for the French ichthyologist Francois-Louis de Castelnau. |
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Species Citation |
Opisthognathus castelnaui Bleeker, 1860, Acta Societatis Regiae Scientiarum Indo-Neêrlandicae 8(7): 45. Type locality: Bulucomba, Makassar, Sulawesi (as Celebes), Indonesia. |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2023 |
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Resources |
Castelnau's Jawfish, Opistognathus castelnaui Bleeker 1860
References
Allen, G.R. & M.V. Erdmann. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Volumes I-III. Tropical Reef Research, Perth Australia.
Bleeker, P. 1860. Dertiende bijdrage tot de kennis der vischfauna van Celebes (Visschen van Bonthain, Badjoa, Sindjai, Lagoesi en Pompenoea). Acta Societatis Regiae Scientiarum Indo-Neêrlandicae 8(7): 1-60.
Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 2009. Three new species of Indo-Pacific jawfishes (Opistognathus: Opistognathidae), with the posterior end of the upper jaw produced as a thin flexible lamina. Aqua, Journal of Ichthyology and Aquatic Biology 15: 69-108.
Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 2009. Three new species of jawfishes (Opistognathus: Opistognathidae), with the posterior end of the upper jaw produced as a thin flexible lamina. aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology 15 (2): 69–108.
Smith-Vaniz, W.F. & G.R. Allen. 2007. Opistognathus rufilineatus, a new species of jawfish (Opistognathidae) from the Bird's Head Peninsula, western New Guinea. aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology 13(1): 35-42
Smith-Vaniz, W.F. & Yoshino, T. 1985. Review of Japanese jawfishes of the genusOpistognathus (Opistognathidae) with description of two new species. Japanese Journal of Ichthyology 32(1): 18-27 figs 1-4
Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 2023. Review of Indo-West Pacific jawfishes (Opistognathus: Opistognathidae), with descriptions of 18 new species. Zootaxa 5252(1): 1-180. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5252.1.1
