Barred Sand Burrower
Limnichthys fasciatus
- Usual depth1–23 m
- Water temperature10–29 °C
- Best monthsMay and December
- How commonOccasional
About this species
Limnichthys fasciatus, the barred sand burrower, is a species of sandburrower. It is noted for its highly developed eyes, with a structure similar to the eyes of a chameleon, which has led it to be described as marine chameleon. Its fully grown length measures between 20 millimetres (0.79 in) and 40 millimetres (1.6 in). The species is native to reefs in the Indo-Pacific. The fish preys on plankton prey by surprise attacking it from a hiding in loose sand, with only the eyes protruding from the sand.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Limnichthys fasciatus”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
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Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 13 records
- February: 10 records
- March: 18 records
- April: 24 records
- May: 44 records
- June: 10 records
- July: 2 records
- August: 1 records
- September: 9 records
- October: 10 records
- November: 16 records
- December: 43 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 1–23 m · Deepest record: 59.5 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 10–29 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Barred Sand Burrower, Sand-diver, Striped Sand-diver, Tommy Fish
Names in 2 more languages
- Japanese
- Tobigimpo, トビギンポ
- Simplified Chinese
- 條紋沼澤魚, 橫帶沙鱚, 沙鰍
Similar species
- Donaldson's Sandburrower
Limnichthys nitidus
- Longfin burrower
Apodocreedia vanderhorsti
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 557 open-data records from 1902 to 2023.
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