Oriental flying gurnard
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| iOriental flying gurnard | ||||||||||||||
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 Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling
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| Dactyloptena orientalis (Cuvier, 1829) |
The oriental flying gurnard, Dactyloptena orientalis, is a flying gurnard of the family Dactylopteridae found in the Indo-Pacific Oceans at depths down to 100 m. Their length is up to 40 cm.
The oriental flying gurnard has huge, round pectoral fins. The fins are usually held against the body, but when threatened they can expand the 'wings' to scare off a predator.
The pelvic fins act like 'legs' as the fish 'walks' along the bottom of the ocean. They also grunt. Coming from a French term, the word 'gurnard' means to grunt.
The 'wings' have many dark markings and the edge of the fins is a bright blue. Its body is usually a grayish brown color with dark markings.
They feed on bony fish, bivalves, and crustaceans. Predators include sea breams and mackerel.
[edit] External links
- Dactyloptena orientalis page at the Australian Museum website.
- Dactyloptena Orientalis entry at Fishbase.
