Whitetail Jawfish

A species of Opistognathus with an elongate supramaxilla and maxilla whose posterior end is produced as a thin flexible lamina that in adults extends to or beyond rear margin of opercle; inner lining of upper jaw and adjacent membranes with one conspicuous black stripe; in life, caudal fin uniformly white; first gill arch with conspicuous, small dark blotches (8–11), each adjacent to a gill-raker base; dorsal fin XI, 15; body with about 72–75 oblique scale rows (Ref. 88069).Description: Characterized by brown head, grading to yellowish and white ventrally; yellow lips with several brown bars; brownish body anteriorly, grading to bluish black on posterior half; caudal fin whitish (Ref. 90102).

Dorsal spines (total): 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 15; Analspines: 3; Analsoft rays: 15

Habitat consisted of a flat, current-swept (3+ knots) sand and rubble plain at approximately 25–30 m depth without coral growth but with an occasional low, stunted gorgonian sea fan present. Opistognathus cyanospilotus, previously known from the Andaman Sea and Bali but not from the Andaman Islands, occurs in the same environment as O. albicaudatus and was collected from four separate burrows (Ref. 88069).

Habitat consisted of a flat, current-swept (3+ knots) sand and rubble plain at approximately 25–30 m depth without coral growth but with an occasional low, stunted gorgonian sea fan present. Opistognathus cyanospilotus, previously known from the Andaman Sea and Bali but not from the Andaman Islands, occurs in the same environment as O. albicaudatus and was collected from four separate burrows (Ref. 88069).