Opistognathidae, the jawfishes, are a family of fishes which have been classified within the order Perciformes, suborder Percoidei but many authorities now classify this family within the clade Ovalentaria and consider that its affinities within that clade are uncertain, i.e. it is incertae sedis.

They are native to warmer parts of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, where found from the shallows to depths of a few hundred meters.

Physically similar to blennies, most jawfish species are small fish (up to 10 cm or 3.9 in) with an elongated body plan.

Using the protection of these burrows, these fish will hover, feeding on plankton or other small organisms, ready to dart back in at the first sign of danger.

Gold-specs jawfish (Opistognathus randalli) typically keep their clutch of eggs for 8–10 days before hatching.