Kauaʻi record · KCA-FISH-000144
Knifejaw
Oplegnathus punctatus
Open this record in the interactive AtlasAbout Knifejaw
Knifejaw is a Kauaʻi-relevant Hawaiian fish documented by authoritative sources.
Kauaʻi evidence
Authoritative Hawaiʻi DAR guide/regulatory record; inclusion does not by itself assert a precise Kauaʻi occurrence site.
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Oplegnathus punctatus
- Common names
- Knifejaw
- Family
- Oplegnathidae
- Order
- Perciformes
- Record type
- species
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Hawaiian waters; included in the Kauaʻi-relevance checklist
- Origin
- Indigenous
- Conservation status
- Not yet assessed
- Evidence date
- 2026-09-13
- Evidence limits
- Kauaʻi-specific detail is explicit: statewide/Hawaiian reference is not converted into a false site-level occurrence claim.
Habitat and ecology
- Habitats
- Rocky and coral reef habitat
- Food and resource needs
- Species-specific diet; see source record
- Reproduction
- Species-specific spawning and recruitment requirements; Kauaʻi-specific detail varies
- Shelter
- Rocky and coral reef habitat
Threats and conservation
- Threats
- Fishing pressure, habitat change, water quality, climate stress and food-web change as applicable
- Conservation actions
- Appropriate habitat protection, fishery stewardship and monitoring as applicable
- Monitoring
- Retain Kauaʻi occurrence, abundance, size, life-stage, seasonal and attendant ecological observations
- Data gaps
- Kauaʻi-specific occurrence frequency, abundance, seasonality and micro-ecosystem relationships should be expanded when direct records are contributed.
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal timing
- Local seasonality not quantified in current source
- Seasonal description
- Knifejaw is a Kauaʻi-relevant Hawaiian fish documented by authoritative sources.