Saddle Midshipman
Sapo Ensillado
(Porichthys ephippiatus)

Saddle Midshipman, Porichthys ephippiatus: The Saddle Midshipman is a very new species discovered by Walker and Rosenblatt in 1988. The Saddle Midshipman is brown in color with a golden sheen, with five or six dark saddles on the back, and dorsal fins with up to six dark blotches along the outer margin.

The Saddle Midshipman has a pale anal fin. The caudal fin has a dark line at its base but otherwise is pale. The pectoral fins are pale.

This fish species is most easily confused with the Pearlspot Midshipman, Porichthys margaritatus (caudal fin with dark border).

The Saddle Midshipman is found between 50 and 750 feet deep in the water column over sandy and muddy bottoms. It reaches a length of just over 5 inches. Due to its rarity it is deemed to be of limited value.

Distribution in Mexico fishing areas

It has a limited distribution in Mexican fishing waters. It is found around the tip of Baja California and along the coast of the Mexican mainland from Mazatlan to Guatemala.

The Saddle Midshipman is a member of the Batrachoididae Family, which includes the toadfish, midshipmen, and monkfish (which are known in Mexico as peces sapo). They are characterized by large heads with eyes on top, two or three stout dorsal spines followed by a separate second dorsal fin with a long base, and anal fins without spines. They are bottom dwellers found under rocks, in crevices, or buried in the sand. Eggs are attached to submerged debris.

They are found in brackish coastal estuaries as well as in waters to depths of 1,000 feet. They consume crabs, echinoderms, fish, mollusks, and shrimp. The Midshipmen have four lateral lines, light-producing organs known as photophores, and anal and dorsal fins that are not continuous with the caudal fin. There are 14 global members of the Porichthys Genus, of which four are found in Mexico fishing areas.

The midshipman fishes are the genus Porichthys of toadfishes. They are distinguished by having photophores (utilized to attract prey) and four lateral lines. They are nocturnal and bury themselves in the sand or mud bottoms of the intertidal zone during the day and at night float just above the sea bed. Some species contain venomous dorsal spines and are capable of inflicting serious injuries. Mating in midshipman fishes depends on auditory communication. Males during the breeding season broadcast a sound usually described as a hum, generated by rapid contractions of the muscles in the swim bladder. The sound can be sustained for up to an hour and is loud enough to be heard by (and to puzzle) people on nearby land and boats; the hulls of boats tend to amplify the sound to sleep-disrupting levels. Reproductive females develop a selective sensitivity to this sound and respond by laying eggs in the rock nest of a singing male.

Saddle Midshipman picture

Saddle Midshipman, Porichthys ephippiatus: Photo courtesy of John Snow.

Saddle Midshipman Fish picture

Saddle Midshipman Fish picture

Saddle Midshipman Fish picture

Saddle Midshipman, Porichthys ephippiatus: Collected well out at sea, off the surface, with a bait net, during a fishing trip 15 miles north of La Playita, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico, in June 2007. Size 3.1 inches. Identification courtesy of H.J. Walker, Jr., Scripps Institute of Oceanography, La Jolla, Calif. Description and photos courtesy of John Snow.

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