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Blenniiformes (Blennies) >
Dactyloscopidae (Sand stargazers)
Etymology: Platygillellus: Greek, platys = flat + Theodore Nicolas Gill (1837-1914) researcher of abyssal fishes and systematics (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 30 m (Ref. 27742). Tropical; - 9°N
Western Atlantic: southern Florida, USA and Bahamas to Panama.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 6.4 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7251)
Short description
Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal
spines
(total): 16 - 17;
Dorsal
soft rays
(total): 15-16;
Anal
spines: 2;
Anal
soft rays: 25 - 26. Pale tan or white with 4 broad reddish-brown bands on side between nape and caudal fin base. Dorsal and caudal fin rays have dark spots. 3 spines in dorsal finlet (Ref. 26938).
Inhabits sand and rubble areas around coral reefs or exposed rocks. Absent from surf beaches (Ref. 27742). The reddish-brown bands along the sides of the fish serve as camouflage when the fish partially buries itself in sand (Ref. 26938).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Dawson, C.E., 1982. Atlantic sand stargazers (Pisces: Dactyloscopidae), with description of one new genus and seven new species. Bull. Mar. Sci. 32(1):14-85. (Ref. 27742)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 125652)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
More information
Common namesSynonymsMetabolismPredatorsEcotoxicologyReproductionMaturitySpawningSpawning aggregationFecundityEggsEgg development
Age/SizeGrowthLength-weightLength-lengthLength-frequenciesMorphometricsMorphologyLarvaeLarval dynamicsRecruitmentAbundanceBRUVS
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingNutrientsMass conversion
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 26.4 - 28.2, mean 27.5 °C (based on 518 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5156 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00389 (0.00180 - 0.00842), b=3.12 (2.94 - 3.30), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.3 ±0.6 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 152 [79, 300] mg/100g ; Iron = 0.74 [0.41, 1.30] mg/100g ; Protein = 18.4 [17.3, 19.5] % ; Omega3 = 0.129 [0.071, 0.235] g/100g ; Selenium = 23.1 [11.0, 47.5] μg/100g ; VitaminA = 233 [77, 687] μg/100g ; Zinc = 2.12 [1.36, 3.29] mg/100g (wet weight);