Peristedion cataphractum

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Peristedion cataphractum
Peristedion cataphractum.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Peristediidae
Genus: Peristedion
Species:
P. cataphractum
Binomial name
Peristedion cataphractum
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms [2]
  • Trigla cataphractaLinnaeus, 1758
  • Peristedion malarmat Lacépède, 1801
  • Peristedion chabronteraLacepède, 1801
  • Octonus olosteon Rafinesque, 1810
  • Peristedion macronema Cadenat, 1951

Peristedion cataphractum, the African armoured gurnard, the mailed gurnard or armed gurnard, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Peristediidae, the armoured gurnards or armored sea robins. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

Contents

Taxonomy

Peristedion cataphractum was first formally described as Trigla cataphracta in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae with its type locality given as the Mediterranean Sea of southern France. [3] In 1801 the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède described a new species and genus when he described Peristedion marmalat, from the Mediterranean Sea and the Moluccas. In 1826 Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent designated P. marmalat as the type species of the genus. [3] [4] P. marmalat is now treated as a junior synonym of Linnaeus's Trigla cataphracta. [3] The specific name cataphractum means “armoured”, an allusion to the bony plates forming a cuirass on this fish’s body. [5]

Description

Peristedion cataphractum has a large, bony head which has numerous spines and ridges and a wide snout with two short and wide, or long and thin, rostral extensions projecting from the suborbital or preorbital bones. The mouth is inferior and there are barbels on the lower jaw and the chin with two of these being long and branched. There are no teeth in the jaws or on the roof of the mouth and there is no tongue. The first and second dorsal fins are set closely together, the first has 7 or 8 spines while the second contains 18 or 19 soft rays, The anal fin has between 27 and 30 rays and the pectoral fins have the 2 lowermost rays separated from the others. The body is elongated and has an octagonal section. The body is armoured with 4 rows of spiny, bony plates, called scutes, on each side with each row having between 17 and 21 scutes. The overall colour is dark pink or red, paler on the lower body. [6] The maximum published total length for this species is 40 cm (16 in) although 18 cm (7.1 in) is more typical. [2]

Distribution and habitat

Peristedion cataphractum is found in the eastern Atlantic from the British Isles, although it is rare north of the Bay of Biscay, south to Angola and throughout the Mediterranean Sea. [6] It has a depth range of 50 to 848 m (164 to 2,782 ft), the deepest records coming from the Ionian Sea. It is a demersal fish found on muddy or rock bottoms on the continental shelf. [2]

Biology

Peristedion cataphractum uses its rostrum to dig in the mud, as it searches for prey. It may stand or walk on the substrate using its two free pectoral rays for locomotion. Following a pelagic larval phase the juveniles settle in coastal waters before migrating to deeper water as adults. [2] These fish are gregerious. [6] They feed on small benthic invertebrates, mostly gastropods and other molluscs, also crustaceans. [1]

Fisheries

Peristedion cataphractum is a bycatch of semi industrial and artisanal fisheries with bottom trawl nets in the Mediterranean, here it is usually discarded. Despite this the species is regularly recorded in Spanish fish markets, as well as those of the Tyrrhenian Sea and Sicily where it may be sold fresh or chilled. It tends not to be used in Africa and although it is locally abundant in Morocco it is not eaten there. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triglidae</span> Family of fishes

Triglidae, commonly known as gurnards or sea robins, are a family of bottom-feeding scorpaeniform ray-finned fish. The gurnards are distributed in temperate and tropical seas worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peristediidae</span> Family of fishes

Peristediidae, the armored sea robins or armoured gurnards, is a family of ray-finned fishes belonging to the suborder Platycephaloidei in the order Scorpaeniformes. They are found in the deep water in the tropical and warm temperate of the world's oceans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tub gurnard</span> Species of fish

The tub gurnard, also known as the sapphirine gurnard, tube-fish, tubfish or yellow gurnard, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. It is exploited by commercial fisheries as a food fish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spiny red gurnard</span> Species of fish

The spiny red gurnard is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. This species is found in the northwestern Pacific Ocean where they occur at depths of from 25 to 615 metres. This species grows to a length of 40 centimetres (16 in) TL. This species is of commercial importance as a food fish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey gurnard</span> Species of fish

The grey gurnard is a species of ray-finned fish from the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Black Sea. It is caught as a food fish and is known for producing sounds. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Eutrigla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piper gurnard</span> Species of fish

The piper gurnard, also known as the piper or the lyre gurnard, is a species of marine, demersal ray-finned fish from the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Trigla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red gurnard</span> Species of fish

The red gurnard, also known as the East Atlantic red gurnard or soldier, is a benthic species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. This fish is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaggedhead gurnard</span> Species of fish

The jaggedhead gurnard is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Peristediidae, the armoured gurnards or armored searobins. This species is found in the eastern Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. It is the only known member of its genus.

Heminodus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Peristediidae, the armoured gurnards or armored sea robins. It is currently considered to be a monotypic genus, its only species being Heminodus philippinus.

Paraheminodus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Peristediidae, the armoured gurnards or armored searobins. These fishes are found in the western Pacific Ocean.

<i>Peristedion</i> Genus of fishes

Peristedion is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Peristediidae, the armoured gurnards or armored sea robins. These fishes are found in Atlantic and Indo-West Pacific ocean waters.

<i>Satyrichthys</i> Genus of fishes

Satyrichthys is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Peristediidae, the armoured gurnards or armored searobins. These fishes are found in the Indo-Pacific region.

<i>Scalicus</i> Genus of fishes

Scalicus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Peristediidae, the armoured gurnards or armored searobins. These fishes are found in the Indo-Pacific region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Streaked gurnard</span> Species of fish

The streaked gurnard, also known as the African gurnard or rock gurnard, is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. This fish is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and western Indian Ocean. This species is of commercial importance as a food fish.

The longfin gurnard, the long-finned gurnard or shining gurnard, is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. This fish is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. This species is of commercial importance as a food fish.

<i>Peristedion greyae</i> Species of fish

Peristedion greyae, the alligator searobin, alligator armored searobin or prickly armoured sea robin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Peristediidae, the armoured gurnards or armored sea robins. It is found in the western central Atlantic.

Scalicus engyceros is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Peristediidae, the armoured gurnards or armored sea robins. This species is found in northwestern Pacific Ocean.

Pterygotrigla multiocellata, the antrorse spined gurnard, is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. This fish is found in the Indo-Pacific region where it has been recorded from Japan, Saipan, and the eastern and western tropical waters off Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackspotted gurnard</span> Species of fish

The blackspotted gurnard, also known as the half-spotted gurnard, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. It is found in the Indo-Pacific region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Large-scaled gurnard</span> Species of fish

The large-scaled gurnard is a species of marine, demersal ray-finned fish from the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Poss, S.; Nunoo, F.; Bannermann, P. & Russell, B. (2015). "Peristedion cataphractum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T198742A15589819. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T198742A15589819.en . Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2022). "Peristedion cataphractum" in FishBase. February 2022 version.
  3. 1 2 3 Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Peristedion". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  4. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in subfamily Peristediinae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  5. ↑ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (26 June 2021). "Order Perciformes (Part 12): Suborder Triglioidei: Families Triglidae and Peristediidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 J-C Hureau. "Armed gurnard (Peristedion cataphractum)". Fishes of the NE Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Marine Species Identification Portal. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
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