Panamic Sand Lance, Ammodytoides gilli

Panamic Sand Lance, Ammodytoides gilli. Fish provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, August 2010. Length: 7.5 cm (3.0 inches). Identification courtesy of Cindy Klepadio, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California.

The Panamic Sand Lance, Ammodytoides gilli, is a member of the Sand Lance or Ammodytidae Family, and is known in Mexico as peon panámico. Globally, there are twenty-three species placed in seven genera in the Ammodytidae Family with only one, this species, this fish in the genus Ammodytoides.

The Panamic Sand Lance has an elongated compressed body that tapers at both ends and has a maximum depth of 9.5% to 11.2% of standard length. Their body is translucent white with transparent fins and 4 small, elongated, black spots along the outer margin of the front half of their dorsal fin. Their head has a long pointed snout, large eyes, and a small oblique mouth that opens in the front with a protractible top jaw and a projecting lower jaw. Their anal fin has a short base with 14 or 15 rays; their caudal is forked; their single dorsal fin has 46 or 47 rays and is low with a long base. They do not have pelvic fins. Their body is covered with small scales and their lateral line is high on the sides.

The Panamic Sand Lance is a demersal species that is found in large schools over and within sandy bottoms near shallow rocky reefs at depths up to 24 m (80 feet). They reach a maximum of 13.5 cm (5.3 inches) in length. They are preyed upon by various jacks, tunas, and sea birds. The Panamic San Lance is very abundant but seldom seen by humans  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 Panamic Sand Lances is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific but has a limited distribution being is found around the tip of the Baja. Baja California Sur, and from Puerto Vallarta, Guerrero, southward along the coast of the mainland to Guatemala.

The Panamic Sand Lance cannot easily be confused with any other species due to its unique shape and coloration.

 From a conservation perspective the Panamic Sand Lance is currently considered to be of Least Concern. with stable, widely distributed populations. They are of limited interest to most.