Dormitator maculatus

The fat sleeper (Dormitator maculatus) is a species of fish belonging to the family Eleotridae, known for their flat heads; they are generally found in fresh water, usually found in lakes, ponds and rivers.

Dormitator maculatus
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Gobiiformes
Family:	Eleotridae
Genus:	Dormitator
Species:	D. maculatus
Binomial name
Dormitator maculatus (Bloch, 1792)
Synonyms[2]
Sciaena maculata Bloch, 1792 Eleotris grandisquama Valenciennes, 1837 Eleotris mugiloides Valenciennes, 1837 Eleotris sima Valenciennes, 1837 Eleotris somnulentus Girard, 1858 Eleotris gundlachi Poey, 1860 Eleotris omocyaneus Poey, 1860 Dormitator microphthalmus Gill, 1863 Dormitator lineatus Gill, 1863 Eleotris pleurops Boulenger, 1909 Batanga pleurops (Boulenger, 1909) Dormitator pleurops (Boulenger, 1909) Dormitator macrophthalmus Puyo, 1944 Dormitator lophocephalus Hoedeman, 1951

Description

Fat sleepers are small fish that have two distinct dorsal fins and scaled, flat heads. Their tails are rounded.^[3] They are fully scaled, and their fins are higher up on the body than other species. Their bodies are a darker brown, whereas their dorsal and anal fins are redder in color. They have a dark blue spot around their gill covers.^[4]

Distribution and habitat

The fat sleeper is found from the Bahamas and North Carolina to Brazil. It lives in intertidal areas on muddy bottoms, and is more frequent in brackish water. It can be found commonly in freshwater or saline coastal pools and river mouths.^[4]