masked stargazer
Gillellus healae Dawson, 1982
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Gillellus healae, the masked stargazer, is a species of sand stargazer native to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States from South Carolina to the Florida Keys as well as around Aruba where it can be found on sandy bottoms at depths of from 21 to 37 metres (69 to 121 ft). It is an ambush predator, burying itself nearly completely in the sand and waiting for prey to happen by. This species can reach a length of 7.5 centimetres (3.0 in) TL.
Wikipedia contributors, Gillellus healae; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:00:47.167306+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Gillellus healae Dawson, 1982
- Name authority
- Dawson, 1982
- Common name
- masked stargazer
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Blenniiformes
- Family
- Dactyloscopidae
- Genus
- Gillellus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderBlenniiformes
- familyDactyloscopidae Gill, 1859
- genusGillellus Gilbert, 1890
- speciesGillellus healae Dawson, 1982
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Gillellus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Gillellus inescatus Williams, 2002 | DactyloscopidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gillellus jacksoni Dawson, 1982 | DactyloscopidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| ornate stargazerGillellus ornatus Gilbert, 1892 | DactyloscopidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| sandloving stargazerGillellus arenicola Gilbert, 1890 | DactyloscopidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gillellus chathamensis Dawson, 1977 | DactyloscopidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Searcher stargazerGillellus searcheri Dawson, 1977 | DactyloscopidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| halfbanded stargazerGillellus semicinctus Gilbert, 1890 | DactyloscopidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Dawson, C. E. (1982). Atlantic sand stargazers (Pisces: Dactyloscopidae), with description of one new genus and seven new species. Bull. Mar. Sci., 32. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3G2YV. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.