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Thorny Flathead Rogadius pristiger (Cuvier, 1829)
[CAAB 37 296054]

Distribution Map see an interactive map here (new window)

   

Distribution, ecology and habitat:

Continental shelf of northern Australia, from northern Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait, records westward to the North West Shelf need to be closely examined due to its confusion with R. asper. Recorded internationally from New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Philippines, Gulf of Thailand, and northern Indian Ocean to Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, and Madagascar. Demersal in bays and coastal waters to depths of 80 m.

Size:

Maximum total length about 21 cm, commonly to 15 cm TL.

Characteristics:

D IX or I,VIII, 10-12 (usually 11); A 10-12 (usually 11); P 20-24 (usually 22 or 23); V I, 5; Llat (pored) 49-55 (usually 52 or 53).

Body elongate, moderately depressed. Head large (length ~42% SL), moderately depressed, lower side of head unicarinate; supraorbital and suborbital ridges bearing many fine serrations. Preorbital spine lacking, several small serrations present; single preocular spine; ocular flap absent. Bands of villiform teeth in jaws; teeth on vomer in two separate oval patches. Preopercular spines 3-6 (usually 4 or 5), uppermost longest, with an accessory spine on base; antrorse spine long and strong; gill rakers 5-8 (usually 7). Interopercular flap absent. Scales ctenoid dorsally, cycloid on breast; oblique scale rows slanting backward above lateral line about equal to number of lateral-line scales; lateral-line scales 49-55 (usually 52 or 53), anterior 4-14 bearing a spine or ridge. scale pores of lateral line with 2 openings to the outside. First dorsal fin spinous base almost as long as base of second dorsal fin, first spine very short, attached to second spine by a low membrane, following spines much longer. Second dorsal fin with moderately long base, anterior rays longest, nearly as long as longest first dorsal spines. Anal fin similar in shape, opposite and slightly longer-based than second dorsal fin. Caudal fin truncate to rounded. Pectoral fins moderately elongate. Pelvic fins long, based below centre of pectoral fins.

Colour:

Body and head brown dorsally, 3 or 4 dusky bands crossing back, paler ventrally. Outer posterior of spinous dorsal fin black, with a triangular light basal area towards front; soft dorsal fin with brown spots on rays. Caudal fin with a white basal band, a broad dusky submarginal band and a narrow white posterior edge; pectoral fins with base and lower edge white, upper rays with brown dash marks, middle of fin dusky.

Fisheries:

May be taken in trawls.

Conservation Status:

None.

Other common names:

None.

Original citation:

Platycephalus pristiger Cuvier, in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1829, Hist. Nat. Poiss. 4: New Guinea; Sulawesi [Celebes], Indonesia.

Etymology:

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 (10 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.

Imamura, H. (1996) Phylogeny of the family Platycephalidae and related taxa (Pisces: Scorpaeniformes). Species Diversity 1 (2): 123-233.

Imamura, H. (2007) Rogadius mcgroutheri, a new species of flathead (Teleostei: Platycephalidae) collected from eastern Australia and New Caledonia. Ichth. Res. 54: 303-307.

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.

Sainsbury, K.J., Kailola, P.J. & Leyland, G.C. (1985) Continental Shelf Fishes of Northern and North-Western Australia. Canberra, C.S.I.R.O. Division of Fisheries Research, 375 pp.