yellowhead jawfish
Opistognathus aurifrons (Jordan & Thompson, 1905)
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
The yellowhead jawfish (Opistognathus aurifrons) is a species of jawfish native to coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea. They can be found at depths of from 3 to 40 metres (9.8 to 131.2 ft). The head and upper body are a light, but brilliant, yellow color slowly fading to a pearlescent blue hue. They can reach a length of 10 centimetres (3.9 in) TL. Yellowhead jawfishes are common in Florida. The Jawfishes live in rubble areas and sand in groups of up to 70 individuals. Yellowhead jawfishes are usually found in shallows where materials are available for burrow construction. They remain near their relatively small territories, and are typically seen with only the head and upper section of their bodies protruding from their burrows, although they sometimes can be found hovering nearby. They are able to arrange material using their mouths, carrying sand, shells, or small rocks from one location to another. O. aurifrons are mouthbrooders, with the male carrying the eggs in his mouth until they hatch.
Wikipedia contributors, Yellowhead jawfish; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:35:10.627367+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Opistognathus aurifrons (Jordan & Thompson, 1905)
- Name authority
- (Jordan & Thompson, 1905)
- Common name
- yellowhead jawfish
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Family
- Opistognathidae
- Genus
- Opistognathus
- 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
- familyOpistognathidae Bonaparte, 1835
- genusOpistognathus Cuvier, 1816
- speciesOpistognathus aurifrons (Jordan & Thompson, 1905)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Opistognathus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Opistognathus galapagensis Allen & Robertson, 1991 | OpistognathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Opistognathus brasiliensis Smith-Vaniz, 1997 | OpistognathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Opistognathus gilberti Böhlke, 1967 | OpistognathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Opistognathus brochus Bussing & Lavenberg, 2003 | OpistognathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Opistognathus signatus Smith-Vaniz, 1997 | OpistognathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Opistognathus rosenbergii Bleeker, 1856 | OpistognathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| robust jawfishOpistognathus muscatensis Boulenger, 1888 | OpistognathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| largescale jawfishOpistognathus megalepis Smith-Vaniz, 1972 | OpistognathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Opistognathus jacksoniensis MacLeay, 1881 | OpistognathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Opistognathus simus Smith-Vaniz, 2010 | OpistognathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Opistognathus schrieri Smith-Vaniz, 2017 | OpistognathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Opistognathus nigromarginatus Rüppell, 1830 | OpistognathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Gnathypops aurifrons Jordan & Thompson, 1905 Jordan & Thompson, 1905 | synonym |
| Opisthognathus aurifrons (Jordan & Thompson, 1905) (Jordan & Thompson, 1905) | synonym |
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.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=276442 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:6T2GW. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.