Golani’s Lizardfish

A species of Saurida with the following combination of characters: lateral-line scales 53–56; transverse scale rows 4½ / 5½; long pectoral fins (extending beyond a line from origin of pelvic fins to origin of dorsal fin); caudal peduncle compressed (depth greater than width); and pelvic fins unpigmented.Body elongate and cylindrical, somewhat depressed on head and compressed on caudal peduncle, the latter with slight ridge on scales of the lateral line; scales large, cycloid, not very deciduous; scales present on cheek and opercle. Snout rounded when viewed from above. Nostrils located about midway between snout tip and anterior margin of orbit; anterior nostrils a little larger than posterior, anterior one with dermal flap posteriorly. Eye circular, directed laterally; covered with fleshy adipose eyelid anteriorly and posteriorly. Interorbital region concave. Mouth very large, extending well beyond posterior margin of eye. Teeth on jaws numerous, small, canine-like, generally in four rows, outermost teeth smallest, innermost longest, visible when mouth closed; similar teeth on the palate, tongue and branchial arches; palatine teeth in two separate series: outer series long and in three rows, with anterior teeth longer, inner series short, in about five poorly defined rows; outer palatine series converge anteriorly but separated by vomer which is toothless or bears 1 (0–1) tooth; tongue short, spatulate, with about 4 (4–6) rows of teeth; lower jaw slightly shorter and fits into groove between teeth at tip of upper jaw; gill rakers absent, branchial arches each with about 3 rows of teeth, those on the inside largest. Origin of dorsal fin posterior to midpoint of distance from snout to adipose fin origin; base of dorsal fin longer than that of anal fin; adipose fin above sixth to eighth anal-fin rays; anus just anterior to origin of anal-fin; pectoral fin long, 18.2% (13.9–18%) in SL; tip of fin reaching well beyond a line from base of pelvic fin to origin of dorsal fin (P-D line); axillary scale of pectoral long and pointed, that of pelvic shorter; caudal fin deeply forked. Peritoneum pale; stomach dark-pigmented anteriorly, intestine black (Ref. 88146).

Saurida golanii has the deepest known distribution of any species of Saurida in the Indo-West Pacific. Its occurrence in depths of 200-500 m is similar to other more typically shallow water species in the Gulf of Aqaba that have also been captured in deep water (Baranes and Golani 1993). This phenomenon is probably a consequence of the unusual deep convective mixing of warmer surface waters to depths of 600 m or more, that occurs in the Gulf of Aqaba (Wolf-Vecht et al. 1992), resulting in an almost constant temperature throughout the water column (Reiss & Hottinger, 1984) that extends the distribution of many species of shallow water origin into much deeper water (Baranes & Golani 1993).