De Beaufort's flathead

Last updated

De Beaufort's flathead
Cymbacephalus beauforti Crocodilefish Papua New Guinea by Nick Hobgood.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Platycephalidae
Genus: Cymbacephalus
Species:
C. beauforti
Binomial name
Cymbacephalus beauforti
(L. W. Knapp, 1973)
Synonyms [2]
  • Platycephalus beaufortiKnapp, 1973

De Beaufort's flathead (Cymbacephalus beauforti), also known as the crocodilefish or giant flathead, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. It is found in the Western Pacific Ocean.

Contents

Taxonomy

De Beaufort's flathead was first formally described in 1973 as Platycephalus beauforti with its type locality given as off Urukthapel Island in the Palau Islands. [3] The Specific name honours the Dutch ichthyologist Lieven Ferdinand de Beaufort of the University of Amsterdam, who made many notable contributions to ichthyology and who at the age of 88 wrote to Knapp encouraging him to revise the family Platycephalidae. [4]

Description

De Beaufort's flathead is a medium-sized fish which grows up to 50 cm (19.7 in), but the average size mostly observed is 35 cm (13.8 in). [2] The body is elongated and the head is particular because of its flat appearance like a duck bill. They have lappets at the rear of their globulous eyes, which help to break up the outline of the black iris and improve their camouflage. Juveniles begin black with few white spots and a white line behind the head. The adults have a body coloration which can vary in intensity according to the surrounding. The body is covered with a pattern like a mosaic of beige to brown spots or even greenish to grey separated by an interlacing of blue lines which ideally camouflages them with their habitat. [5]

Distribution and habitat

De Beaufort's flathead has a wide distribution extending from the Mentawai Islands in the far east of the Indian Ocean off Sumatra and including the Philippines, Borneo, Maluku Islands, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Palau and from Yap Island to Ishigaki Island. [2]

De Beaufort's flathead is found shallow water in areas of sand or coral rubble, near seagrasses or mangroves. They are typically found at depths of 2 or 3 m (6 ft 7 in or 9 ft 10 in), [6] but have been recorded as deep as 12 m (39 ft). [2]

Biology

De Beaufort's flatheads are demersal ambush predators which feed mainly on smaller fish and crustaceans. The breeding biology of this species is little known but it is thought that the minimum population doubles at intervals between 4.5 and 14 years. [7]

Eye lappet

Close shot of head and eye lappet of Crocodilefish. 082810 Crocodilefish.jpg
Close shot of head and eye lappet of Crocodilefish.

Related Research Articles

<i>Platycephalus</i> Genus of fishes

Platycephalus is a genus of mostly marine, demersal ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae. They are found in the eastern Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tentacled flathead</span> Species of fish

The tentacled flathead, also known as the Indian Ocean crocodilefish, Madagascar flathead or longhead flathead, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. This species is in the western Indian Ocean, including the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, having invaded as a Lessepsian migrant through the Suez Canal. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Papilloculiceps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bartail flathead</span> Species of fish

The bartail flathead, also known as the Indian flathead, gobi or Indo-Pacific flathead, is a species of largely marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. This species is found in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific Ocean, and has invaded the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

<i>Cociella</i> Genus of fishes

Cociella is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. These fishes are found in the Indo-Pacific region.

<i>Cymbacephalus</i> Genus of fishes

Cymbacephalus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. These fishes are found in the Indo-Pacific region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwarf flathead</span> Species of fish

The dwarf flathead is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. It is found in the Indo-Pacific. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Elates.

The spiny flathead, also known as the whitefin flathead or Bengal flathead, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. It is found in the Indo-West Pacific region. This species is the only known member of its genus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longhead flathead</span> Species of fish

The Longhead flathead, also known as the crocodile flathead or weed flathead, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. This species is endemic to reefs in the coastal waters of southern Australia.

<i>Leviprora</i>

Leviprora is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. These fishes are endemic to the waters of southwestern Australia.

<i>Onigocia</i> Genus of fishes

Onigocia is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. They are found in the Indo-Pacific region.

<i>Rogadius</i> Genus of fishes

Rogadius is a genus of marine, demersal ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae. These fishes are native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.

The Guinea flathead is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean along the western coast of Africa. This species is the only known member of the genus Solitas. It is also the only flathead species which has a natural distribution which lies outside of the Indo-Pacific.

<i>Thysanophrys</i> Genus of fishes

Thysanophrys is a genus of marine, demersal ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae. These fishes are native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.

<i>Platycephalus laevigatus</i> Species of fish

Platycephalus laevigatus, the rock flathead, black flathead, grass flathead, king flathead, marbled-bellied flathead, Port Albert flathead, smooth flathead or Southern rock flathead, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. This species is endemic to Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crocodile flathead</span>

The crocodile flathead is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. It is found in the western Pacific Ocean.

Cociella heemstrai is a species of demersal, marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. It is found in the western Indian Ocean off eastern Africa and Madagascar. Its biology is little know but it is caught by fisheries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brownmargin flathead</span>

The brownmargin flathead is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. It is found off northern Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spotted flathead</span>

The spotted flathead is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. It is found in the Indo-Pacific.

Cociella somaliensis is a species of demersal, marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. It is found in the north western Indian Ocean.

Inegocia japonica, the Japanese flathead, rusty flathead or smooth flathead, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. It is found in the Indo-West Pacific region.

References

  1. ↑ Motomura, H. & Matsuura, K. (2016). "Cymbacephalus beauforti". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T69787135A69800837. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T69787135A69800837.en . Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2022). "Cymbacephalus beauforti" in FishBase. February 2022 version.
  3. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Platycephalus". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  4. ↑ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (7 December 2021). "Order Perciformes (Part 11): Suborder Platycephaloidei: Families Bembridae, Parabembridae, Hoplichthyidae, Platycephalidae and Plectrogeniidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  5. ↑ "Descriptions and articles about the Crocodile Fish (Cymbacephalus beauforti) - Encyclopedia of Life". Eol.org. 2009-07-24. Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  6. ↑ L.W. Knapp (1999). "Platycephalidae Flatheads". In Carpenter, K.E.; Niem, V.H. (eds.). FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 4. Bony fishes part 2 (Mugilidae to Carangidae). FAO, Rome. pp. 2385–2421. ISBN   9251043019.
  7. ↑ "Crocodile Fishes, Cymbacephalus beauforti". The MarineBio Conservation Society. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.