Scaly gurnard
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| Lepidotrigla brachyoptera Hutton, 1872 |
The scaly gurnard, Lepidotrigla brachyoptera, is a searobin of the family Triglidae, found around New Zealand including the Kermadec Islands, at depths of between 35 and 300 m. Its length is up to 15 cm.
The scaly gurnard is similar in appearance to other gurnards, such as the bluefin gurnard Chelidonichthys kumu, but is much smaller. The blunt head is covered in bony plates and a few spines. The first rays of the pectoral fins are separated and serve a sensory function, but the fan formed by the pectoral fins is not as large as that of other gurnards.
The body is covered in large obvious scales and is pink-red above and white beneath.
Scaly gurnards eat shellfish, crustaceans and worms from sandy bottoms, which they expose whilst delving using their bony snout.
[edit] References
- "Lepidotrigla brachyoptera". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. May 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
- 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
