Synodus lucioceps, California lizardfish

Synodus lucioceps (Ayres, 1855)

California lizardfish
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Synodus lucioceps   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Synodus lucioceps (California lizardfish)
Synodus lucioceps
Picture by Shelton, J.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Aulopiformes (Grinners) > Synodontidae (Lizardfishes) > Synodontinae
Etymology: Synodus: Greek, syn, symphysis = grown together + Greek, odous = teeth (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Ayres.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 1 - 229 m (Ref. 2850), usually 2 - 50 m (Ref. 9348). Subtropical; 51°N - 2°S, 128°W - 88°W

Distribution Territories | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Eastern Pacific: San Francisco, USA to Cabo San Lucas and Guayamas, Mexico. Reported from British Columbia (Ref. 11980) and the Galapagos Islands (Ref. 5227).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 64.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9348); common length : 30.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9348)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11 - 13; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 12 - 15; Vertebrae: 60 - 63. Most species are brown to gray or red dorsally and laterally and pale ventrally; some species have a pattern of dusky saddles, lateral spots, or bars (Ref. 35938).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated; Cross section: circular.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Perch motionless on pectoral fins in a wide range of habitats; commonly found on sandy bottoms or sand patches around rocky reefs and boulder and gravel strewn slopes. Active during the day. May bury in sand with only the eyes and mouth protruding (Ref. 5227). Feed on fishes (Ref. 9348). Oviparous, with planktonic eggs and larvae (Ref. 35938). Extended larval period (Ref. 35938). Catches are either discarded or made into fish meal (Ref. 9348).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Oviparous (Ref. 35938). Also Ref. 240.

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H. Hammann, 1983. A field guide to Pacific coast fishes of North America. Boston (MA, USA): Houghton Mifflin Company. xii+336 p. (Ref. 2850)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 24 May 2007

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: of no interest
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | OceanAdapt | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search |