Iguana Lizardfish, Synodus sechurae
Iguana Lizardfish, Synodus sechurae. Fish caught within the coastal waters of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, April 2016. Length: 25 cm (10 inches).
Iguana Lizardfish, Synodus sechurae. Fish caught within the coastal waters of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, May 2017. Length: 28 cm (11 inches).
Iguana Lizardfish, Synodus sechurae. Fish caught from coastal waters of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, June 2013. Length: 18 cm (7.1 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).
The Iguana Lizardfish, Synodus sechurae, is a member of the Lizardfish or Synodontidae Family, that is also known as the Sechura Lizardfish and in Mexico as chile iguana. Globally, there are thirty-seven species in the genus Synodus, of which eleven are found in Mexican waters, six in the Atlantic and five in the Pacific Ocean.
The Iguana Lizardfish has an elongated tubular robust body that has a depth that is of 10% to 14% of standard length. The are mottled brown dorsally and are white ventrally. They have a row of white spots that follow the lateral line. All their fins are transparent. Their head is short (18% to 20% of standard length) and features a moderately long snout, small eyes, and a large, slightly oblique mouth that extends well past the eyes. Their mouth opens at the front and is equipped with many rows of fine pointed teeth. They have a straight lateral line. Their anal fin has 12 rays; their small adipose fin is above their anal fin; their caudal fin is forked; their single dorsal fin has 11 rays and is located mid-body; their pectoral fins are long reaching past their pelvic fins; and their pelvic fins are large with 8 rays are found behind their pectoral fins. Their fins are spineless. A key to identification is that the anal fin base is equal in length to the dorsal fin base and that the pectoral fins reach past the pelvic fins origin.
The Iguana Lizardfish is a demersal species that is found within and over sandy and muddy bottoms in very deep waters at depths up to 91 m (300 feet). They reach a maximum of 30 cm (11.8 inches) in length. They are voracious ambush predators feeding primarily on small fish, krill, squid, and shrimp. The Iguana Lizardfish is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.
The Iguana Lizardfish is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean and are found from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, southward along the southwest coast of Baja, in the southern two-thirds of the Sea of Cortez, and along the coast of the mainland south to Guatemala.
The Iguana Lizardfish can be confused with the Lance Lizardfish, Synodus scituliceps (chin knob, pectoral fins not reaching the pelvic fin origin, anal fin base longer than dorsal fin base). Note: the Iguana Lizardfish is very difficult to separate from the Lance Lizardfish even by a professional ichthyologist.
From a conservation perspective the Iguana Lizardfish is currently considered to be of Least Concern, with stable, widely distributed populations. They are more abundant than most species but are seldom caught because their small mouths require small hooks for success. They are relatively small in stature and of limited interest to most and a “catch-and-release.”