Diversity
Dactyloscopids derive their common name, sand stargazers, from their eyes, which protrude
from the tops of their heads, sometimes on stalks. Sand stargazers usually remain
burrowed into the sand with only the eyes, along with the snout and sometimes the
top of the head, uncovered. Members of this family occupy shallow warm waters and
are carnivorous. They are small, cryptic fishes and little is known about their behavior
or reproductive habits. There are nine genera in the family and about 41 species.
Geographic Range
Dactyloscopids, or sand stargazers, are found in tropical and warm temperate waters
of the western hemisphere. The Atlantic Ocean (from the United States to Brazil)
contains 17 species, and the Pacific Ocean (from the Gulf of California to Chile)
contains 24.
- Biogeographic Regions
- nearctic
- neotropical
- atlantic ocean
- pacific ocean
Habitat
Dactyloscopids live buried in the sand with only the eyes, along with the snout and
sometimes the top of the head, uncovered. They usually occupy shallow warm water at
depths between two and 15 m, but one species,
Gillellus semicinctus
, has been found between five and 137 m. Some groups inhabit bare, open beaches in
or behind the surge zone, but others are found exclusively in patches of sand that
are near rocks, coral structures, or marl bottoms. A few species can be found in
estuaries, and at least one enters fresh water.
- Habitat Regions
- temperate
- tropical
- saltwater or marine
- Other Habitat Features
- estuarine
- intertidal or littoral
Systematic and Taxonomic History
The family Dactyloscopidae is divided into nine genera and 41 species. Four Pacific
species contain 29 subspecies. Sand stargazers are virtually unique among teleosts
in that a branchiostegal rather than an opercular pump moves water through the mouth
and gills. It is likely that internal fingerlike projections keep the gills free
of sand.
Physical Description
Sand stargazers (family Dactyloscopidae) are small fishes adapted to burrowing in
the sand. Their eyes are situated on the top of the head, sometimes on stalks, and
their nostrils are tubular. They have upturned mouths, and fingerlike projections
(fimbriae) line the mouth and gill covers, keeping sand out of the gills and mouth.
These fish maintain water flow through the gills with a branchiostegal pump. Sand
stargazers are covered with cycloid scales. The dorsal fin, which contains 7-23 spines
and 12-36 soft rays, may be divided or continuous. The pelvic fins have three thickened
rays with tips that are free from the fin membrane. The largest dactyloscopids reach
17 cm, but most are less than six cm. They are colored to blend in with their sandy
environment: most are whitish or drab brown, and many have red-tinged or dark mottling
along the back and head. (Click here to see a
fish diagram
)
- Other Physical Features
- ectothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- sexes alike
Development
No information was found on development in Dactyloscopidae.
Reproduction
No information was found on mating systems in Dactyloscopidae.
While no information was found on reproduction in Dactyloscopidae, blennies (which
are in the same suborder
Blennioidei
) in general tend to lay relatively large eggs that adhere to a surface. In the case
of sand stargazers, eggs may adhere to each other, as males carry them in two clumps
under the pectoral fins.
- Key Reproductive Features
- sexual
- fertilization
- oviparous
Sand stargazers display a unique trait among fishes in that males guard eggs by carrying
them in two balls, one in the “armpit” (axilla) of each pectoral fin.
- Parental Investment
- male parental care
Lifespan/Longevity
No information was found on lifespan of dactyloscopids.
Behavior
Sand stargazers burrow in the sand and remain there most of the time lying in wait
for their prey. They delve into the sand using sinuous body and anal fin motions,
and swimming movements of the pectoral fins. They may bury themselves completely
or leave the eyes, snout or top of the head uncovered. One behavior engaged in by
males is egg-guarding, accomplished by carrying a ball of eggs under each pectoral
fin.
- Key Behaviors
- natatorial
- motile
Communication and Perception
No information was found on communication in Dactyloscopidae. Because their eyes are placed on top of their heads, often on stalks, so as to remain uncovered by sand, it is logical to infer that they perceive their surroundings visually.
Food Habits
Sand stargazers are carnivorous, lying in wait under the sand to attack small fishes
and invertebrates.
Predation
Sand stargazers conceal themselves from predators by hiding under the sand. They are
cryptically colored, so any exposed parts blend in well with the sand.
- Anti-predator Adaptations
- cryptic
Ecosystem Roles
Sand stargazers occupy a specific habitat, that is, sandy bottoms of shallow warm
waters, and in that setting impact the tiny fishes and invertebrates that serve as
their prey.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
No information was found on human importance of Dactyloscopidae.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
No specific information was found concerning any negative impacts to humans.
Conservation Status
There is no known conservation threat to any members of Dactyloscopidae.
Additional Links
Contributors
Monica Weinheimer (author), Animal Diversity Web.
R. Jamil Jonna (author), Animal Diversity Web.
- Nearctic
-
living in the Nearctic biogeographic province, the northern part of the New World. This includes Greenland, the Canadian Arctic islands, and all of the North American as far south as the highlands of central Mexico.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- Neotropical
-
living in the southern part of the New World. In other words, Central and South America.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- Atlantic Ocean
-
the body of water between Africa, Europe, the southern ocean (above 60 degrees south latitude), and the western hemisphere. It is the second largest ocean in the world after the Pacific Ocean.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- Pacific Ocean
-
body of water between the southern ocean (above 60 degrees south latitude), Australia, Asia, and the western hemisphere. This is the world's largest ocean, covering about 28% of the world's surface.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- temperate
-
that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).
- tropical
-
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
- saltwater or marine
-
mainly lives in oceans, seas, or other bodies of salt water.
- benthic
-
Referring to an animal that lives on or near the bottom of a body of water. Also an aquatic biome consisting of the ocean bottom below the pelagic and coastal zones. Bottom habitats in the very deepest oceans (below 9000 m) are sometimes referred to as the abyssal zone. see also oceanic vent.
- coastal
-
the nearshore aquatic habitats near a coast, or shoreline.
- estuarine
-
an area where a freshwater river meets the ocean and tidal influences result in fluctuations in salinity.
- intertidal or littoral
-
the area of shoreline influenced mainly by the tides, between the highest and lowest reaches of the tide. An aquatic habitat.
- ectothermic
-
animals which must use heat acquired from the environment and behavioral adaptations to regulate body temperature
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- fertilization
-
union of egg and spermatozoan
- external fertilization
-
fertilization takes place outside the female's body
- oviparous
-
reproduction in which eggs are released by the female; development of offspring occurs outside the mother's body.
- male parental care
-
parental care is carried out by males
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- cryptic
-
having markings, coloration, shapes, or other features that cause an animal to be camouflaged in its natural environment; being difficult to see or otherwise detect.
- carnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats meat
- piscivore
-
an animal that mainly eats fish
- natatorial
-
specialized for swimming
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
References
Allen, G., D. Robertson. 1994. Fishes of the Tropical Eastern Pacific . Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press.
Böhlke, J., C. Chaplin. 1993. Fishes of the Bahamas and Adjacent Tropical Waters . Wynnewood, PA: Published for the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia by Livingston.
Helfman, G., B. Collete, D. Facey. 1997. The Diversity of Fishes . Malden, MA: Blackwell.
Nelson, J. 1994. Fishes of the World – third edition . New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons.
Springer, V. 1998. Blennies. Pp. 216 in Encyclopedia of Fishes – second edition . San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
The World Conservation Union, 2002. "IUCN 2002" (On-line). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Accessed August 18, 2003 at http://www.iucnredlist.org/ .
Thresher, R. 1984. Reproduction in reef fishes . Neptune City, NJ: T.F.H. Publications.
Wheeler, A. 1985. The World Encyclopedia of Fishes . London: Macdonald.