- Spotted gurnard
Taxobox
name = Spotted gurnard
image_caption = Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling
regnum =Animalia
phylum =Chordata
classis =Actinopterygii
ordo =Scorpaeniformes
familia =Triglidae
genus = "Pterygotrigla "
species = "P. picta"
binomial = "Pterygotrigla picta"
binomial_authority = (Günther, 1880)The spotted gurnard, "Pterygotrigla picta", is a
searobin of the familyTriglidae , found in theIndo-Pacific oceans at depths between 200 and 500 m. Its length is up to 35 cm.The spotted gurnard has a wedge shaped head and round tapering body, similar in appearance to the
bluefin gurnard "Chelidonichthys kumu " but with larger, more prominent eyes. On the head and operculum the bony armour has a number of large prominent spines. Thepectoral fin 'fan' is brown with lines of yellow spots.The body is pink-yellow above with numerous small black spots, and white beneath, and blends well with the open sand that is the usual habitat. Spotted gurnards eat
shellfish ,crustacean s andworm s from sandy bottoms, which they expose whilst delving using their bony snout.References
*
* Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, "Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand", (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand1982 ) ISBN 0-00-216987-8
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