Calico Lizardfish, Synodus lacertinus

Calico Lizardfish, Synodus lacertinus. Fish caught from shore at Buena Vista, Baja California Sur, January 2017. Length: 13 cm (5.1 inches).

Calico Lizardfish, Synodus lacertinus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, February 2023. Length: 13 cm (5.1 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Peoria, Illinois.

Calico Lizardfish, Synodus lacertinus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Point Palmilla, Baja California Sur, January 2014. Length: 15 cm (5.9 inches).

Calico Lizardfish, Synodus lacertinus. Fish caught from coastal waters off El Tule, Baja California Sur, March 2024. Length: 15 cm (5.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Chip Shapley, Las Barilles, Baja California Sur.

Calico Lizardfish, Synodus lacertinus. Underwater photograph taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, March 2018. Photograph courtesy of Maude Jette, Dive Zihuantanejo,   www.Divezihuantanejo.com.

Calico Lizardfish, Synodus lacertinus. Underwater photographs taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, March 2018 and March 2019. The third photograph believed to be a Calico consuming a Mexican Barnacle Blenny, Acanthemblemaria macrospilus. Photographs courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuantanejo.

The Calico Lizardfish, Synodus lacertinus, is a member of the Lizardfish or Synodontidae Family, that is also known as the Banded Lizardfish, the Reef Lizardfish and the Sauro Lizardfish, and in Mexico as chile lagarto. Globally, there are thirty-seven species in the genus Synodus, of which eleven are found in Mexican waters, six in the Atlantic and five in the Pacific Ocean.

The Calico Lizardfish has an elongated tubular body with a depth that is 12% to 14% of standard length. They are an overall reddish-brown coloration; their backs have 5 saddle-like markings that extend onto their sides as irregular bars and their lower sides have 10 to 12 reddish-brown blotches. Their anal, dorsal, and long pelvic fins have thin striping, whereas their caudal fin has wide striping. They are white ventrally. From personal observations I have noted that fish caught in waters of less than 15 m (50 feet) are normally brown in color; those from depths of greater than 15 m (50 feet) are always a deep red. Their head is wide, flattened, and medium-sized and 22% to 24% of standard length. They have large eyes, a short non-protruding snout, and a large slightly oblique mouth, which extends past the eyes and is equipped with many rows of fine pointed teeth. Their adipose fin is above their anal fin; their anal fin has 8 or 9 rays and has a base that is shorter than the dorsal fin base; their caudal fin is forked; their single dorsal fin has 11 or 12 rays and is located mid-body and originates midway between their snout tip and their adipose fin; and, their pelvic fins are large with 8 rays are inserted behind their pectoral fin base. Their lateral line is straight.

The Calico Lizardfish are found in and around rocky coral reefs and close to boulders adjacent to sand at depths up to 155 m (510 feet), although I have found them only at depths up to 91 m (300 feet). They reach a maximum of 24 cm (9.4 inches) in length, a length established by a fish that I caught. The Calico Lizardfish is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Calico Lizardfish is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean with the exception that they are absent from the northern third of the Sea of Cortez.  One of my readers contributed a photograph of a fish caught off the beach in Neuvo Guaymus, Sonora, from the northern third of the Sea of Cortez.

Due to their elaborate red coloration patterns, the Calico Lizardfish are easy to identify and not likely to be confused with any other species. They are, however, quite similar to the very rare Eastern Pacific Flagfin, Aulopus bajacali (transparent anal fin without stripes).

From a conservation perspective the Calico Lizardfish is currently considered to be of Least Concern, with stable, widely distributed populations.  They are more abundant than most species but are seldom caught because their small mouths require small hooks for success. They are small in stature and of limited interest to most and a “catch-and-release.”