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Family Synodontidae

Lizardfishes

Lizardfish

Selected Characters: Body elongate, cylindrical; head small, lizardlike; jaw long; teeth large; no fin spines; adipose fin present.

Members of this family are typically found in warm, shallow seas. They are usually found on muddy or sandy bottoms, often buried in sediment. The common name for this family is based on the "lizardlike" appearance of these fishes' heads. Unlike the rest of the order Aulopiformes, in which most individuals are bisexual, most lizardfishes have dioecious reproduction (the two sexes occur in separate individuals). There are about 55 species recognized in this family. One species, the California Lizardfish, very rarely enters Puget Sound.

Puget Sound Species

Synodus lucioceps California Lizardfish