Main identification features
- head long, flattened
- 1st dorsal fin : vii
- fins - yellow border
- operculum - 3 stripes
- body: rows of many small spots
- tail fin base - large blotch
Pacific Guavina
Elongate; head long and flattened; snout about equal to eye, bluntly rounded; mouth slightly oblique, ends under front of pupil, lower jaw projects; front nostril a long tube, pointing forward at front of snout, rear nostril a hole with a raised rim before upper part of eye; upper and lower jaw with 3-4 rows of small teeth and outer row of 3-4 large, widely spaced teeth; first gill arch with 5+13 thin pointed gill rakers on outer surface, length of those about equal to pupil diameter, other arches with blunt rakers; medial fins relatively low; dorsal fin VII, 10, with first dorsal lower than second; anal fin 10 rays, pectoral 16 rays; pelvics separate, I,5, relatively short; tail fin bluntly straight; almost completely scaled except for underside of head and a small area on the snout before the eye; scales smooth on head and front of body and rough behind level of front of second dorsal fin; 89 lateral scale rows.
Color: Pale grey brown head and body; head with 3 irregular dark brown stripes across operculum, thickest one starting at rear of eye, a dark line along cheek back from mouth; iris dark, with a narrow yellow ring around pupil; body with many small dark spots in irregular horizontal rows; several large brown blotches on upper back at rear of body; a large dark brown blotch on upper part of tail fin base; first dorsal with two lines of brown spots and a yellowish border, second dorsal similar but with three lines of spots; tail fin pale grey, with top and bottom borders yellowish and half a dozen irregular vertical rows of small brown spots; anal fin grey, a row of brown spots along its base, outer border yellowish; pelvics grey with a yellowish leading edge.
Size: Reaches at least 11.5 cm
Depth: 0-10m
Habitat: Fresh and brackish water
Known only from Panama and Costa Rica
Attributes
Abundance: Common.
Cites: Not listed.
Climate Zone: Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo).
Depth Range Max: 10 m.
Depth Range Min: 0 m.
Diet: mobile benthic worms; mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs); bony fishes.
Eastern Pacific Range: Northern limit=10; Southern limit=8; Western limit=-86; Eastern limit=-79; Latitudinal range=2; Longitudinal range=7.
Egg Type: Benthic; Pelagic larva.
Feeding Group: Carnivore.
FishBase Habitat: Demersal.
Global Endemism: East Pacific endemic; Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic; All species.
Habitat: Estuary; Mangrove; Soft bottom (mud, sand,gravel, beach, estuary & mangrove); Freshwater; Soft bottom only.
Inshore Offshore: Inshore; Inshore Only.
IUCN Red List: Not evaluated / Listed.
Length Max: 11.5 cm.
Regional Endemism: TEP endemic; Continental TEP endemic; Panamic province endemic; Continent only; Continent; All species.
Residency: Resident.
Salinity: Brackish; Freshwater; Non Marine.
Water Column Position: Bottom; Bottom only;
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