Argentina sphyraena | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Argentiniformes |
Family: | Argentinidae |
Genus: | Argentina |
Species: | A. sphyraena |
Binomial name | |
Argentina sphyraena Linnaeus, 1758 | |
[1] Argentina sphyraena is a species of fish belonging to the family Argentinidae. [1] Also known as the "stargazer", they inhabit the Eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean, and the Black Sea, and typically live between 10 and 100 meters in depth. [2] The stargazers are sedentary fish that camouflage themselves in sand or mud in order to prey upon other animals. [2] They are carnivorous, benthic predators, or "bottom dwelling", which means they eat small animals, and are very important to the food chain. [3] These fish mainly feed on polychaetes and crustaceans. [3]
The Argentina sphyraena has an elongated and strong, laterally flattened body, with small teeth. [3] Their eyes are located at the top of the head, with vertical mouths and a protractile appendix attached to the jaw. [3] The fish do not live past the age of 5, and the females grow to be larger than males do. [2] Length range varies quite a bit between the two genders, females range in length from about 10.9 to 16.4 centimeters, and the males range from 8.9 to 13.5 centimeters. [4] As for weight, females on average weigh around 15.08 grams, and males weigh around 9.47 grams. [4] The total average length and weight range for both sexes is 5.2 to 21.9 centimeters in length, and 2.0 to 182.5 grams in weight. [2] The sex ratio between the fish is 1:1.98, so the female ratio is slightly biased. [2]
Although the fish is not important to the economy, it has been claimed to be very important to the Black Sea's ecosystem. [2]
Its native range is Europe and Africa. [1]
The ruddy turnstone is a small cosmopolitan wading bird, one of two species of turnstone in the genus Arenaria.
The stargazers are a family, Uranoscopidae, of labriform ray-finned fish that have eyes on top of their heads. The family includes about 51 species in eight genera, all marine and found worldwide in shallow and deep saltwaters.
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