Platycephalus bassensis

Platycephalus bassensis
	Derwent River, Hobart
	juvenile
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Scorpaeniformes
Family:	Platycephalidae
Genus:	Platycephalus
Species:	P. bassensis
Binomial name
	Platycephalus bassensis; Cuvier 1829
Synonyms
	Platycephalus tasmanius Richardson, 1842;

Last updated January 10, 2024

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.

Taxonomy

Platycephalus bassensis was first formally described in 1829 by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier in volume 4 of the Histoire naturelle des poissons which he co-wrote with Achille Valenciennes. Cuvier gave the type locality as Western Port in Victoria.^[2] The specific name bassensis refers to the Bass Strait which the type locality is part of.^[3]

Description

Platycephalus bassensis has and elongated and slightly flattened body with a large, flattened head which is just under one-third of the standard length and which has two clear bony ridges to the rear of the eye. The eyes are large and have a small lappet on the iris. It has a large mouth with small canine like teeth in the jaws and a broad patch of vomerine teeth with a thin band of palatine teeth. There are twp robust spines on the angle of the preoperculum with lower spine being around two times longer than the upper spine. 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. This species has a maximum published total length of 55 cm (22 in)^[4] and a maximum published weight of at least 3.1 kg (6.8 lb).^[5] The overall colour is sandy to pale brownish with a scattering of small pale to dark spots. There are 2 or 3 vague bands posteriorly along the back and a whitish belly. There is an irregular blotch on the lower lobe of the caudal fin which is frequently interrupted by the pale fin rays, the upper lobe is marked with large brown spots or blotches.^[4]

Distribution and habitat

Platycephalus bassensis is endemic to southern Australia where it occurs from northern New South Wales to southwestern Western Australia,^[5] including around Tasmania. However, some authorities state that records west of the Great Australia Bight are misidentifications of P. westraliae. This species occurs on sandy, muddy or shelly substrates in shallow coastal bays down to depths of around 100 m (330 ft).^[4]

Biology

Diet

Platycephalus bassensis is an ambush predator which buries itself in the sediment feeding on fishes and large benthic crustaceans.^[4]

Reproduction

Platycephalus bassensis has separate sexes and external fertilisation with spawning taking place in the late Austral winter up to mid December. The eggs and larvae are pelagic, the larvae settle on the bottom and then grow rapidly for their first 3 years, attaining a total length of 22 to 25 cm (8.7 to 9.8 in).^[4]

Fisheries

Platycephalus bassensis is taken by commercial trawlers and Danish seiners offshore as well as by gillnet, beach seine and hook and line inshore. although the catch is not large It is a popular recreational quarry for anglers in estuarine and sheltered inshore waters in Victoria and Tasmania.^[4]

Related Research Articles

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.

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.

Platycephaloidei is a suborder of ray-finned fishes, part of the order Scorpaeniformes, and includes the flatheads, ghost flatheads and sea robins.

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.

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.

Platycephalus endrachtensis, or the bar-tailed flathead, bar-tail flathead, flag-tail flathead, northern sand flathead, northern-flag tailed flathead, sand flathead, western estuary flathead, is a predatory fish in the family Platycephalidae. It is found from the eastern Indian Ocean to the western Pacific, including in Australian and Indonesian waters up to 60 m (200 ft) deep over sand, at temperatures between 17 and 18 °C. The maximum length of the species is 62 cm (24 in), and its weight up to 5 kg (11 lb). A popular angling species, the specific epithet endrachtensis refers to Eendrachtsland, an early Dutch name for Australia, with the suffix -ensis, meaning "place". Venomous spines are hazardous for safe handling.

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.

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

↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2022). "Platycephalus bassensis" in FishBase. February 2022 version.
↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Platycephalus". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 14 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 13 July 2022.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Australian National Fish Collection; CSIRO & Bray, D.J. (2021). "Platycephalus bassensis". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
1 2 Mark McGrouther (18 January 2019). "Southern Sand Flathead, Platycephalus bassensis Cuvier, 1829". Australian Museum. Retrieved 14 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.

[Fishbase-1] Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2022). "Platycephalus bassensis" in FishBase. February 2022 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 14 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 13 July 2022.

[FofA-4] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Australian National Fish Collection; CSIRO & Bray, D.J. (2021). "Platycephalus bassensis". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 14 July 2022.

[AM-5] 1 2 Mark McGrouther (18 January 2019). "Southern Sand Flathead, Platycephalus bassensis Cuvier, 1829". Australian Museum. Retrieved 14 July 2022.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]