Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 3, 2026

Variegated lizardfish

The variegated lizardfish is a lizardfish of the family Synodontidae found in the western Pacific and Indian Oceans, at depths from 4 to 90 m. It can reach a maximum length of 40 cm.

Last revised
Jul 3, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
384 w
Citations
5
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Variegated lizardfish
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Aulopiformes
Family: Synodontidae
Genus: Synodus
Species:
S. variegatus
Binomial name
Synodus variegatus
(Lacépède, 1803)
Synonyms

Synodus englemani
L. P. Schultz, 1953

The variegated lizardfish (Synodus variegatus) is a lizardfish of the family Synodontidae found in the western Pacific and Indian Oceans, at depths from 4 to 90 m. It can reach a maximum length of 40 cm.2

Description

The body of the variegated lizardfish is rounded in cross-section, with a broad, slightly flattened head and a large, wide mouth. The upper and lower jaws project equally, and both jaws, along with all mouth bones, are armed with conical, barbed teeth. Its strong, thick pelvic fins function as supports when the fish rests on the seabed while waiting to ambush prey.

The variegated lizardfish varies in color from grey to red, with hourglass-shaped markings.

Taxonomy

The species Synodus dermatogenys was once misidentified as S. variegatus, while the true S. variegatus was referred to as S. englemani Schultz, 1953 by many authors, including Gosline & Brock (1960) and Cressey (1981).34 However, Waples and Randall (1989) showed that S. variegatus is a senior synonym of S. englemani, and that S. dermatogenys is the correct name for the lizardfish that Cressey (1981) identified as S. variegatus.5

  • Variegated lizardfish at Wakatobi National Park Indonesia, 2018
    Variegated lizardfish at Wakatobi National Park Indonesia, 2018
  • Variegated lizardfish at St. Crispin's Reef Australia, 2004
    Variegated lizardfish at St. Crispin's Reef Australia, 2004
  • Variegated lizardfish eating Shortfin Puffer at Lembeh Indonesia, 2018
    Variegated lizardfish eating Shortfin Puffer at Lembeh Indonesia, 2018
  • Variegated lizardfish at Raja Ampat Indonesia, 2020
    Variegated lizardfish at Raja Ampat Indonesia, 2020
  • Drawing of Variegated lizardfish
    Drawing of Variegated lizardfish
  • Close-up
    Close-up
References

References

  1. Russell, B.; Smith-Vaniz, W.F.; Lawrence, A. (2016). "Synodus variegatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T67856085A67871730. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T67856085A67871730.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Synodus variegatus". FishBase. January 2007 version.
  3. GOSLINE, W. A., and V. E. BROCK. 1960. Handbook of Hawaiian fishes. Univ. Hawaii Press, Honolulu.
  4. Cressey, R. 1981. Revision of the Indo-West Pacific lizardfishes of the genus Synodus (Pisces: Synodontidae). Smithson. Contrib. Zool. 342: I-53.
  5. WAPLES, R. S., and J. E. RANDALL. 1988. A revision of the Hawaiian lizardfishes of the genus Synodus, with descriptions of four new species. Pac. Sci. 42(3-4): 178–213.
External links