Platycephalus speculator

Platycephalus speculator
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Scorpaeniformes
Family:	Platycephalidae
Genus:	Platycephalus
Species:	P. speculator
Binomial name
	Platycephalus speculator; Klunzinger, 1872
Synonyms
	Neoplatycephalus speculator(Klunzinger, 1872); Platycephalus castelnaui Macleay, 1881; Planiprora melsoni Whitley, 1945;

Last updated September 04, 2023

Platycephalus speculator, the southern bluespotted flathead, Castelnau's flathead, deepwater flathead, king flathead, Lakes Entrance flathead, longnose flathead, shovelnose flathead, Southern dusky flathead, Southern flathead or yank flathead, is a common species of flathead. This species is endemic to southern Australia.

Taxonomy

Platycephalus speculator was first formally described in 1872 by the German zoologist Carl Benjamin Klunzinger with its type locality given as Hobson's Bay in Victoria.^[2] The specific name speculator means "explorer" , "searcher" or "investigator", an allusion Klunzinger did not explain, but it may refer to the much larger eyes of this species in comparison to the bartail flathead (P. indicus).^[3]

Description

Platycephalus speculator has and elongated and slightly flattened body with a large, flattened head which is about one-third of the standard length with several smooth bony ridges which have very few spines on them. It has moderately large eyes with wide, rounded lappets on the irises. The large mouth has small, pointed teeth on the jaws, one or two rows of vomerine teeth and a single row of palatine teeth on each of the palatines. There are no enlarged canine-like teeth. The preoperculum has two robust spines at its angle with the lower spine being a little longer than the upper. The first dorsal fin is short based, has 8 or 9 spines with the first spine being very short and is separate. The second dorsal fin has a moderately long base with 13 or 14, typically 14, soft rays with the first rays being the longest. The anal fin has a similar shape and is opposite the second dorsal fin, has a slightly longer base and contains 14 soft rays. The caudal fin is truncate to rounded.^[4] This species attains a maximum published total length of 90 cm (35 in),^[1] and a maximum weight of 8 kg (18 lb). The overall colour is sandy to dark brown or greyish, ligher ventrally, with a lot of dark blotches and whitish to bluish spots. There are between 3 and 5 large white-margined black spots or blotches on the distal part of the caudal fin, progressively shrinking dorsally.^[4]

Distribution and habitat

Platycephalus speculator is endemic to southern Australia where it ranges from Point Hicks in Victoria to Kalbarri in Western Australia), it also occurs off northern Tasmania. This species prefer areas of sand and seaweed beds in shallow coastal waters, particularly shallow sheltered bays, living down to 30 m (98 ft) depth.^[4]

Biology

Platycephalus speculator feeds largely on fishes, aas well as large benthic crustaceans. The breeding season peaks in the summer and early autumn, in December to March. Spawning typically occurs in the sea, however, in some areas it takes place within estuaries,^[4] even when the estuary is cut off from the sea.^[5]

Fisheries

Platycephalus speculator is the commonest flathead sold in Western Australian fish markets. Along Australia's southern coast this species is caught using beach seines, gill nets and haul nets.^[4]

Related Research Articles

The armoured flathead, also known as the deepsea flathead, glassy flathead or spiny flathead, is a species of marine ray-finned fish of the family Hoplichthyidae, the ghost flatheads. This species is found in the southwest Pacific Ocean.

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.

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.

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.

Hoplichthys, the ghost flatheads, is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans. This genus is the only member of the family Hoplichthyidae.

The mud flathead is a species of flathead endemic to the Pacific coastal waters of Australia where it occurs at depths of from 15 to 53 metres on the continental shelf. This species is the only known member of its genus.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Platycephalus bassensis the Southern sand flathead, Bass flathead, bay flathead, common flathead, sand flathead, sandy, sandy flathead, slimy flathead or yanks, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. It is endemic to Australia.

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.

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.

The semi-armed flathead is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. This species is endemic to the coastal waters of southern Australia. It was confirmed as a valid species in 2020.

The halfspined flathead is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. This species is found in the western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.

The tuberculated flathead is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. This species is found in Indian and Western Pacific Oceans.

References

1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2006). "Platycephalus speculator" in FishBase. February 2006 version.
↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Platycephalus". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 16 July 2022.
↑ 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 16 July 2022.
1 2 3 4 5 Australian National Fish Collection & Bray, D.J. (2021). "Platycephalus speculator". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
↑ Hyndes, G.A.; Neira, F.J. & Potter, I.C. (1992). "Reproductive biology and early life history of the marine teleost Platycephalus speculator Klunzinger (Platycephalidae) in a temperate Australian estuary". Journal of Fish Biology. 40: 859–874. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.1992.tb02632.x.

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.

[Fishbase-1] 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2006). "Platycephalus speculator" in FishBase. February 2006 version.

[CofF-2] Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Platycephalus". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 16 July 2022.

[ETYFish-3] 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 16 July 2022.

[FofA-4] 1 2 3 4 5 Australian National Fish Collection & Bray, D.J. (2021). "Platycephalus speculator". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 16 July 2022.

[Hyndes-5] Hyndes, G.A.; Neira, F.J. & Potter, I.C. (1992). "Reproductive biology and early life history of the marine teleost Platycephalus speculator Klunzinger (Platycephalidae) in a temperate Australian estuary". Journal of Fish Biology. 40: 859–874. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.1992.tb02632.x.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]