Splendors of Water

 JawFish

Scientific Classification

Scientific Name - Opistognathus aurifrons

Domain             - Eukaryota

Kingdom           - Animalia

Phylum             - Chordata

Class                - Actinopterygii

Order                - Perciformes

Family              - Opistognathidae

Genus              - Opistognathus

Species            - O.aurifrons

Opistognathidae, the jawfishes, are a family of fishes which have been classified within the order Perciformes, suborder Percoidei but many authoroties now classify this family within the clade ovalentaria and consider that it is affinities within that clade are uncertain.

Jawfish are found in the Atlantic, Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean. In the Atlantic, they live in the central and western part. Jawfish only occurs in saltwater; never in brackish or freshwater. Jawfishes live in shallow reefs areas and will dig out burrows for themselves in sandy substrate. The jawfish can attain a length of 5 inches in the wild, and up to 4 inches in an a aquarium. A captive lifespan more than five years is quite rare - around three is much more common.

They feed on fish and invertebrates that are detected and captured with use of their saw. They are generally harmless to humans, but can inflict serious injuries with the saw when captured and defending themselves.

The Spanish name for jawfishes is " bocas grandes " meaning " big mouths ". Jawfishes use their big mouths like scoops as they move sand and rocks while digging their burrows. Besides serving as scoops, jawfish's big mouths come in handy at mating time. The males carry their eggs, inside their mouths until they hatch.

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