Fish identification archive / Mottled Jawfish

Mottled Jawfish

Opistognathus maxillosus

Fun facts for your next surface interval

The upper jaw ends rigidly rather than in a flexible plate. [source]
The tail is rounded. [source]
The lateral line occupies the front half of the body. [source]

Florida and local context

REEF lists Opistognathus maxillosus in the cumulative diver-survey report for Blue Heron Bridge (WPB) Phil Foster Park. This is a cumulative volunteer report, not an independently reidentified voucher.

A documented past record does not establish present abundance or guarantee an encounter.

Sources: REEF named-site survey: Blue Heron Bridge (WPB) Phil Foster Park

How to recognize this animal

A brown-and-white jawfish with a checkerboard-like flank pattern. Dark body bars meet blotches along the dorsal-fin base, with the strongest dorsal blotch farther back than the front of the fin.

Sources: Smithsonian STRI species account

Size and life stages

The Smithsonian account reports 15.3 cm. It does not explicitly specify total, fork or standard length for this value; do not compare it directly with a length-labeled measurement.

Sources: Smithsonian STRI species account

Habitat and where to look

Sand and rubble supporting burrows, at 0–12 m.

Sources: Smithsonian STRI species account

Range and local context

The Bahamas south through the Caribbean. Historical corridor survey evidence is from Blue Heron Bridge (WPB) Phil Foster Park.

Sources: Smithsonian STRI species account; REEF named-site survey: Blue Heron Bridge (WPB) Phil Foster Park

Feeding and diet

The species data report lists bony fishes, bottom-associated crustaceans. These categories are not a local prey-frequency estimate.

Sources: Smithsonian STRI species account

Daily habits and behavior

The University of Texas account describes excavation of a burrow with a terminal chamber and coral or shell fragments lining it. Its cited biology account describes males holding eggs in the mouth. These are shelter-building and parental-care behaviors, not an encounter schedule.

Sources: University of Texas species account

Mating and the next generation

The species data report classifies the eggs as brooded. Local spawning dates, maturity measurements and a detailed courtship sequence were not established.

Sources: Smithsonian STRI species account

Look-alikes and identification traps

No species-level look-alike comparison has yet been verified for this draft. Use the diagnostic features above and retain uncertain photographs as unidentified rather than assigning a name from color alone.

Observe without disturbing

Maintain buoyancy and leave a clear retreat. Do not touch, chase, feed, uncover or move the animal, its shelter, or vegetation. Photographs are observations, not collection permission.

Live collection only; site restrictions

The accepted taxon is Opistognathus maxillosus (Opistognathidae). FWC recreational marine-life coverage explicitly names Opistognathidae, matching the accepted family.

This scoped status is not permission to collect or a guarantee of food safety.

Harvest, collection and food status

Checked 2026-11-11.

Harvest status

Live collection only; site restrictions. The accepted taxon is Opistognathus maxillosus (Opistognathidae). FWC recreational marine-life coverage explicitly names Opistognathidae, matching the accepted family. Florida recreational marine-life rules require live landing and continued live maintenance with an adequate circulating, aerated or oxygenated system; a saltwater license is required unless exempt. The daily aggregate is 20 marine-life organisms, at most five of one species; possession is limited to two days (40 total, ten of one species). Use only permitted collection gear. FWC states these marine-life rules also apply in federal waters. This is not a food-harvest allowance. Jawfish have a four-inch total-length maximum.

Jurisdiction and closed areas

Vero Beach–Key Largo Atlantic corridor. Florida state waters extend 3 nautical miles offshore; adjacent South Atlantic federal waters have separate rules. Park, sanctuary, method and landing restrictions remain applicable. No trip clearance. The mapped Blue Heron Bridge dive site is closed to marine-life collection, not automatically every form of fishing. Biscayne National Park prohibits ornamental collection without a superintendent collecting permit; mapped seasonal and permanent fishing closures also apply. John Pennekamp permits fishing only in designated areas, with additional collection prohibitions. Key Largo Management Area prohibits tropical-fish take and spearfishing, including equipment possession except uninterrupted passage. Sanctuary Preservation Areas, Ecological Reserves, Special-use Areas and posted access restrictions require exact boundary and exception checks. General species allowances do not override these restrictions.

Spearfishing

Live-only ornamental collection is not authorization to spear or kill this fish. No corridor-wide spearfishing clearance. FWC prohibits spearfishing in state-park waters, within specified distances of swimming beaches, fishing piers and fishing bridges, and in Upper Keys state waters from Long Key north to the Miami-Dade line. Key Largo Management Area has an independent federal spearfishing and equipment-possession restriction.

Food and menu status

Exact-species, capture-location food-safety advice was not verified. FDA market-group advice is not clearance for this individual local fish. Check current local fish-consumption advisories before eating any legally obtained fish. A dated exact-species local restaurant menu was not verified; menu status is unverified, not absent. Recipes are disabled.

Official sources

Identification and source cautions

Historical reports do not guarantee current abundance.
Length convention is unspecified in the cited identification narrative.
Independent official harvest wording is integrated separately; publication approval remains pending.

Sources and review

Reviewed 2026-11-11; biological claims and the depicted illustration independently checked. Photographs on cited sites are reference material and are not reproduced here.

Make your next dive happen

Review current dates, availability, prices, inclusions and requirements on each listing before booking or buying.

Call us now

(772) 600-8288

Ask about marine life identification

Marine Life Identification

Ask about dates, prerequisites or your next step. An inquiry does not reserve a place. Please provide your own contact details; do not include medical, payment or a child's personal information.

We use these details to respond to your inquiry. This form does not sign you up for marketing.