sand stargazer

Dactyloscopus tridigitatus

Burying in sand to ambush prey

Tropical
Southern Hemisphere
Regional distribution
Marine fish
Atlantic Ocean
Central America and the Caribbean
North America
South America
Elongated
Small
Tropical fish

Dactyloscopus tridigitatus, the sand stargazer, is a species of sand stargazer native to the Atlantic coasts of the Americas from Florida, United States to Brazil as well as in the Caribbean Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. It is found in sandy areas around reefs at depths of from 0 to 29 metres (0 to 95 ft). It is an ambush predator, burying itself nearly completely in the sand and attacking prey animals that happen by.

Class: Teleosts
Order: Blennies and Allies
Family: Dactyloscopidae
Genus: Dactyloscopus
Maximum length: 9 cm
Water: Marine
Body shape: elongated
Distribution: Western Atlantic: ranges from the vicinity of Fort Pierce, southeastern Florida, to Ubatuba, State of Saõ Paolo, Brazil. The species is well represented in the Bahamas and Antilles, on western Caribbean shores from Quintana Roo, Mexico to Venezuela (Ref. 27742 ). Also in Bermuda, Gulf of Mexico, coasts of Central and South America to Brazil (Ref. 26938 ).
Conservation status: LCLeast Concern

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