Yellowhead jawfish

Yellow-headed jawfish
Conservation status
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Opistognathidae
Genus:	Opistognathus
Species:	O. aurifrons
Binomial name
Opistognathus aurifrons (D. S. Jordan & J. C. Thompson, 1905)
Synonyms
Gnathypops aurifrons D. S. Jordan & J. C. Thompson, 1905

Opistognathus aurifrons, the Yellow-headed jawfish, is a species of jawfish native to coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea. It is found at depths of from 3 to 40 metres (9.8 to 131.2 ft). The head and upper body are a light, but brilliant, yellow color slowly fading to a pearlescent blue hue. It can reach a length of 10 centimetres (3.9 in) TL.^[1]

It remains near its relatively small territory, and is typically seen with only the head and upper section of its body protruding from its burrow, although it sometimes can be found hovering nearby. It is able to arrange material using its mouth, carrying sand, shells, or small rocks from one location to another.

It is a mouthbrooder, with the male carrying the eggs in its mouth until they hatch.

In captivity

In the aquarium it feeds on planktonic matter, commonly taking brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, and prepared frozen and pelleted fish food. When other fish come near its territory, it will open its jaw wide and try to warn them off, but it rarely attacks.

References

1. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2014). "Opistognathus aurifrons" in FishBase. February 2014 version.

• "Opistognathus aurifrons". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 24 January 2006.