Dactyloscopidae Gill 1859

Family Dactyloscopidae Gill 1859 View in CoL View at ENA ( Fig. 4M View FIGURE 4 ). Sand Stargazers; Miraestrellas de Arena

Description: Body elongate, tapered; up to 15 cm; head usually broad and deep, with protruding, eyes on top, often stalked; mouth upturned, with a protruding lower jaw; mouth often bordered above and/or below by a fringe of skin flaps; operculum with a fringe of skin flaps; pelvic fins with one spine and three soft rays, jugular; dorsal fin long, continuous or divided, with 7–23 spines and 12–36 soft rays; anal fin with 21–41 soft rays ( Robertson & Allen 2015, Nelson et al. 2016). Distribution: Marine (rarely brackish or freshwater); warm temperate to tropical waters in North and South America ( Nelson et al. 2016). One genus and one species in Nicaraguan freshwaters.