Lance Lizardfish, Synodus scituliceps

Lance Lizardfish, Synodus scituliceps. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, November 2022. Length: 15 cm (5.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Chris Moore, Peoria, Arizona.

Lance Lizardfish, Synodus scituliceps. Fish caught from coastal waters of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, April 2016. Length: 28 cm (11 inches).

Lance Lizardfish, Synodus scituliceps. Fish caught from coastal waters off Point Palmilla, Baja California Sur, October 2017. Length: 30 cm (12 inches).  First photograph taken at the time of the catch indicative that they quickly lose their coloration and spotting upon death.

Lance Lizardfish, Synodus scituliceps, Lower-jaw Fleshy Knob. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, April 2021. Length: 30 cm (12 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Chris Moore, Peoria, Arizona.

The Lance Lizardfish, Synodus scituliceps, is a member of the Lizardfish or Synodontidae Family, and is known in Mexico as chile arpón 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 Lance Lizardfish has an elongated tubular robust body with a depth that is 13% to 17% of standard length. Dorsally they are grayish brown with a silvery sheen and white ventrally; and, they have no significant markings. Their adipose, caudal, and pectoral fins are dark; their anal and pelvic fins are transparent; and their dorsal fin is dusky. Their head is short (19% to 21% of standard length) and has a long, sharply-pointed snout, small eyes, a lower jaw that ends in a fleshy knob, and a large, slightly oblique mouth that extends well past the eyes; their mouth opens at the front and is equipped with many rows of fine pointed teeth. They have a straight lateral line. Their small adipose fin is above their anal fin; their anal fin has 13 to 14 rays and its base is longer than their dorsal fin base; their caudal fin is forked; their single dorsal fin has 11 to 14 rays and is located mid-body; their pectoral fins have 8 rays and are short and do not reach the pelvic fins; and their pelvic fins are large and found behind their pectoral fins. Their fins are spineless. A key to identification is that the anal fin base is longer than the dorsal fin base and that the pectoral fins do not reach the pelvic fins.

The Lance Lizardfish is a demersal species that is found within and over sandy and muddy bottoms in very deep waters at depths up to 171 m (560 feet). They reach a maximum length of 55 cm (21.6 inches) and are the second largest of the lizardfish found in Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 0.96 kg (2 lb 2 oz), with the fish caught Fish caught from coastal waters off Loreto, Baja  California Sur, June 2023 by my good friend Chris  Wheaton. I have caught one 55 cm fish indicative to me that they get larger. They are voracious ambush predators feeding primarily on small fish, krill, squid, and shrimp. The Lance 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 Lance Lizardfish is a resident of  all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The Lance Lizardfish can be confused with the California Lizardfish, Synodus lucioceps (yellow pectoral fins; head 22% to 24% of standard length) and the Iguana Lizardfish, Synodus sechurae (anal fin base equal in length to the dorsal fin base; pectoral fins reach pelvic fins). Note: the Lance Lizardfish is very difficult to separate from the Iguana Lizardfish even by a professional ichthyologist.

From a conservation perspective the Lance 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 also a frequent by-catch of deep-water trawlers. They are relatively small in stature and of limited interest to most and a “catch-and-release.”