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Bartail Flathead Platycephalus indicus (Linnaeus, 1758)
[CAAB 37 296033]

Distribution Map see an interactive map here (new window)

Distribution, ecology and habitat:

Coastal and estuarine waters of the Indo-West Pacific; in northern Australia, from Shark Bay (Western Australia) to Port Hacking (New South Wales); elsewhere, widespread from the eastern Mediterranean, Red Sea, to South Africa, northern Indian Ocean to Indonesia, Malaysia, southern Japan, Korea, China and the Philippines. Demersal on soft bottoms in estuaries (sometimes up to freshwater), bays and coastal waters to depths of 40 m.

Size:

Maximum length at least 100 cm (typically 40-60 cm); maximum weight at least 4 kg (typically <1.6 kg).

Food and feeding:

Primarily piscivorous, also large benthic crustaceans.

Characteristics:

D I, VII, I or I, I, VII, I or I, VIII, 13 or 14; A 13; C 16; P 17-20 (usually 18 or 19); V I, 5; Llat (pored) 65-81.

Body elongate, slightly depressed. Head large (length 32-35% SL), strongly depressed, with several prominent, mostly spineless ridges, lower edge bicarinate; no preorbital spines; a single preocular spine; eyes small (11-14% HL), iris lappet a simple elongated lobe; mouth large, extending to level of mid-eye; teeth small, villiform, with pointed teeth near upper symphysis, teeth on vomer in a single, crescent-shaped band, in two narrow longitudinal bands on palantines, no greatly enlarged canines; two strong preopercular spines at angle of preopercle, lower usually longer than upper, usually the trace of an accessory spine on upper; gill rakers on first gill arch 7-10 (usually 8 or 9); interopercular flap present, finger-like. Scales small, finely ctenoid, covering body and most of head; lateral line scales slightly larger than adjacent scales on side, 83-107 oblique rows of scales above lateral line, two anteriormost scales usually with a small spine or ridge, single pored. First dorsal fin spinous with short base, first and last spines rudimentary when present. Second dorsal fin with moderately long base, anterior ray longest, unbranched. Anal fin similar in shape, opposite and slightly longer-based than second dorsal fin. Caudal fin truncate. Pectoral fins short and rounded. Pelvic fins long, based below centre of pectoral fins, reaching anal-fin origin. Swim bladder absent.

Colour:

Sandy brown to greyish dorsally with fine marbling and broad, darker brown cross bars; large dark blotch inside operculum; whitish ventrally. Caudal fin with 2 or 3 horizontal blackish bars and a prominent yellow blotch near middle of fin, whitish areas elsewhere; dorsal, pectoral and pelvic fins with small brown spots on rays; anal fin whitish.

Fisheries:

In Australia, taken by handlines, seines and in small numbers as bycatch of inshore trawl fisheries.

Conservation Status:

None.

Other common names:

Bartailed Flathead, Bar-tailed Flathead, Indian Flathead, Flathead.

Original citation:

Callionymus indicus Linnaeus, 1758, Systema Nat. ed. 10, 1: 250, Asia.

References:

Eschmeyer, W.N. (2008) The Catalogue of Fishes on-line. (California Academy of Sciences: San Francisco) Available from: http://www.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp (15 March, 2008).

Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & Allen, G.R. (2006) Fishes. In: P.L. Beesley & A. Wells (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia Volume 35. Parts 1-3. Australian Biological Resources Study and CSIRO Publishing, 2248 pp.

Matsubara, K. & Ochiai, A. (1955) A revision of the Japanese fishes of the family Platycephalidae (the flatheads). Memoirs of the College of Agriculture Kyoto University 68: 1-109.

Imamura, H. (2006) Rediagnosis of the marbled flathead, Platycephalus marmoratus (Actinopterygii: Teleostei: Platycephalidae), with comments on the composition of the type series. Species Diversity 11: 295-306.

Knapp, L.W. (1999) Family Platycephalidae, flatheads, pp. 2385-2421. In: K.E. Carpenter & V.H. Niem (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). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.

Krefft, G. (1963) Platycephalus indicus (L.), 1758, ein neues Faunenelement der ägyptischen Mittelmeerküste. Arch. Fisch. Wiss. 14(3): 148-152.

Murty, V.S. (1982) On the fishes of the family Platycephalidae of the seas around India. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India 17: 679-694.

Smith, M.M. & Heemstra, P.C. (eds) (1986) Smiths' Sea Fishes. Macmillan South Africa, Johannesburg, 1047 pp.

Yearsley, G.K., Last, P.R. & Ward, R.D. (2001) Australian Seafood Handbook: an identification guide to domestic species. FRDC / CSIRO Marine Research, 469 pp.