Giant stargazer

Taxobox
name = Giant stargazer


regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Perciformes
familia = Uranoscopidae
genus = "Kathetostoma"
species = "K. giganteum"
binomial = "Kathetostoma giganteum"
binomial_authority = Haast, 1873

The giant stargazer, "Kathetostoma giganteum", is a stargazer of the family Uranoscopidae, found on the continental shelf around New Zealand, at depths of between 60 and 600 m. Its length is up to 90 cm.

The giant stargazer is a large solid-bodied fish with a huge blunt head protected by bony armour. The eyes and large trap-door mouth both face upward. There is a sharp projecting spine arising from each side of the back of the head, immediately above the huge fan-like pectoral fins. Small dorsal and anal fins are set towards the back of the body and the small pelvic fins are well forward beneath the chin. The skin is scaleless but is thick and tough.

Coloration is mottled olive-brown above, and white below, with blue-white borders on the large pectoral fins.

These fish bury themselves in the bottom sediments to conceal themselves from their prey of crabs, molluscs, and worms, and small fishes. When a prey item comes within range it lunges forward by thrusting downward with the wide spread pectoral fins and engulfs the animal with its cavernous mouth.

References

*
* Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, "Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand", (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8