Clouded lizardfish (Saurida nebulosa)

Image source: afguemas | inaturalist.org
General data
- Main name: Clouded lizardfish
- Local names: Clouded saury, Nebulous lizardfish, Clouded saury, Clouded grinner, Blotched lizardfish, Blotched saury, Blotched grinner
- Climates: Tropical
- Habitat: Saltwater
- Native: Australia & Oceania
- Distribution: Pacific Ocean
Classification
- Genus: Saurida - Saurida
- Family: Synodontidae - Lizardfishes
- Order: Aulopiformes - Grinners
- Class: Teleostei - Ray-finned fishes
- Superclass: Osteichthyes - Bony fishes
Description
The clouded lizardfish (Saurida nebulosa) is lives mainly in the south Pacific Ocean. They are a species that camouflage in order to wait for their prey. At times they will pop their heads out of the sand. The average size of an unsexed male is about 16.5 centimeters. The clouded lizardfish can be found in reef-based environments in tropical climates. They are common to the areas of sand, mud, rock, eel-grass habitats, mangroves and seagrass beds, near streams, and river mouths. They are native to:
- Mauritius to the Society Islands,
- North to the Hawaiian Islands,
- South to Sydney Harbor,
- New South Wales, Australia.