Calico Lizardfish
Synodus lacertinus
Also calledSauro Lizardfish, Banded Lizardfish, Reef Lizardfish
Its published range starts about 4 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border. No California record turned up before Matt Wilbur photographed one at La Jolla Shores in October 2026.
Sightings
2026 season, numbered oldest first, every one sourced
- #5Nov 8, 20261 reportLa JollaPhotos: Zoe Tessler, iNaturalist, CC BY-NC 4.0
- #4Nov 6, 20262 reportsLa Jolla CanyonPhotos: Siobhan O'Neill (nudib1tch)
- #3Nov 6, 20261 reportMain Wall, La Jolla CanyonPhotos: Charlotte Seid, iNaturalist, CC BY-NC 4.0
- #2Oct 31, 20261 reportLa Jolla Shores
- ID
- Matt Wilbur, checked by Nautical Nick
- Source
- Matt Wilbur photos, Facebook, Oct 31
- #1Oct 25, 20261 reportLa Jolla Shores
- ID
- Matt Wilbur, checked by Nautical Nick
- Source
- Matt Wilbur photos, Facebook, Oct 25
About this fish
What it is, where it comes from, and whether it has been here before
Where it normally lives
About 4 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border to Chile, including the Gulf of California and the Galapagos.
Range source: Love and colleagues, 2021 checklist of Pacific coast fishes · FishBase
In California
No earlier California record is on file for this animal.
Photos
From California this season
The California photos sit with their numbered sightings above. If you photographed this animal in California this season, send it in.
Details
Rarity in the compendium is Nautical Nick's call on how likely a diver is to run into the animal on the California coast this season, not how rare it is where it normally lives.
Read the full Calico Lizardfish Ichthyopedia entry →