Platycephalidae
Encyclopedia
Platycephalidae is a family
of marine fish
es, most commonly referred to as flatheads. They are relatives of the popular lionfishes, belonging to the order Scorpaeniformes
.
Members of the family can be found naturally in coastal waters throughout the Indo
-Pacific
. A few species have been caught in the eastern Mediterranean, having traveled there from the Red Sea
through the Suez Canal
.
are known to grow up to a meter in length. Their most distinctive characteristic is the flattened shape of their heads. While the rest of their body is shaped similarly to other fishes that inhabit the areas they frequent, their heads are triangularly-shaped and dorso-ventrally depressed, giving them the shape of a trowel or an artist's spatula. Their eyes are situated on the upper surface, in accordance with their bottom-dwelling lifestyle. They possess two complete dorsal fin
s, the first one supported by six-to-nine strong spines.
Flatheads are mostly marine. They are demersal fishes, often resting directly on the seabed
, sometimes partially-buried in sand or mud. They can be found in a wide range of depths, ranging from depths of 10 meters to the edge of the continental shelf at depths of about 300 metres (984.3 ft).
Flatheads are carnivorous
, feeding on small fishes and crustaceans. They lie in wait buried by sand, with only their eyes poking out from the substrate. When prospective prey walks or swims close to the platycephalid's head, the flathead strikes rapidly, engulfing the prey in its large mouth.
There are active commercial fisheries geared towards members of the family, especially in eastern countries. In Japan
, some species are the subject of experimental aquaculture
programs. Flatheads are occasionally caught on rod and line and the larger species are considered game fish.
The name of the family is derived from the Greek
words platy, meaning "flat", and kephale for "head".
Family Platcephalidae
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of marine fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
es, most commonly referred to as flatheads. They are relatives of the popular lionfishes, belonging to the order Scorpaeniformes
Scorpaeniformes
Scorpaeniformes is an order of ray-finned fish, but it has also been called the Scleroparei.They are known as "mail-cheeked" fishes due to their distinguishing characteristic, the suborbital stay: a backwards extension of the third circumorbital bone across the cheek to the preoperculum, to which...
.
Members of the family can be found naturally in coastal waters throughout the Indo
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
-Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. A few species have been caught in the eastern Mediterranean, having traveled there from the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
through the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
.
Description
Platycephalids are small-to-medium-sized fishes. Most species are small, reaching an average of 10 cm in length. However, a few species in the genus PlatycephalusPlatycephalus
Platycephalus is a genus of mostly-marine, bottom-dwelling fish in the family Platycephalidae.-Etymology and Taxonomic History:The name of the genus, Platycephalus is derived from the Greek words for "flat" and "head"...
are known to grow up to a meter in length. Their most distinctive characteristic is the flattened shape of their heads. While the rest of their body is shaped similarly to other fishes that inhabit the areas they frequent, their heads are triangularly-shaped and dorso-ventrally depressed, giving them the shape of a trowel or an artist's spatula. Their eyes are situated on the upper surface, in accordance with their bottom-dwelling lifestyle. They possess two complete dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
s, the first one supported by six-to-nine strong spines.
Seabed
The seabed is the bottom of the ocean.- Ocean structure :Most of the oceans have a common structure, created by common physical phenomena, mainly from tectonic movement, and sediment from various sources...
, sometimes partially-buried in sand or mud. They can be found in a wide range of depths, ranging from depths of 10 meters to the edge of the continental shelf at depths of about 300 metres (984.3 ft).
Flatheads are carnivorous
Carnivore
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...
, feeding on small fishes and crustaceans. They lie in wait buried by sand, with only their eyes poking out from the substrate. When prospective prey walks or swims close to the platycephalid's head, the flathead strikes rapidly, engulfing the prey in its large mouth.
There are active commercial fisheries geared towards members of the family, especially in eastern countries. In Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, some species are the subject of experimental aquaculture
Aquaculture
Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the...
programs. Flatheads are occasionally caught on rod and line and the larger species are considered game fish.
The name of the family is derived from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
words platy, meaning "flat", and kephale for "head".
Species
There are currently 68 known species within 19 genera in the family:Family Platcephalidae
- Genus Ambiserrula
- Ambiserrula jugosa McCulloch, 1914. A small member of the family endemic to Australia.
- Genus Cociella
- Cociella crocodila
- Cociella heemstrai
- Cociella hutchinsi
- Cociella punctata
- Cociella somaliensis
- Genus Cymbacephalus
- Cymbacephalus beauforti
- Cymbacephalus bosschei
- Cymbacephalus nematophthalmus
- Cymbacephalus staigeri
- Genus Elates
- Elates ransonnetii
- Genus Eurycephalus
- Eurycephalus arenicola
- Eurycephalus carbunculus
- Genus Grammoplites
- Grammoplites knappi
- Grammoplites scaber
- Grammoplites suppositus
- Genus Inegocia
- Inegocia guttata
- Inegocia harrisii
- Inegocia japonica
- Genus Kumococius
- Kumococius rodericensis
- Genus Leviprora
- Leviprora inops
- Genus Onigocia
- Onigocia bimaculata
- Onigocia grandisquamis
- Onigocia macrolepis
- Onigocia oligolepis
- Onigocia pedimacula
- Onigocia spinosa
- Genus Papilloculiceps
-
- Papilloculiceps longiceps
- Genus PlatycephalusPlatycephalusPlatycephalus is a genus of mostly-marine, bottom-dwelling fish in the family Platycephalidae.-Etymology and Taxonomic History:The name of the genus, Platycephalus is derived from the Greek words for "flat" and "head"...
BlochMarcus Elieser BlochMarcus Elieser Bloch was a German medical doctor and naturalist. He is generally considered one of the most important ichthyologists of the 18th century.- Life :...
, 1795. Type genus.- Platycephalus arenarius
- Platycephalus aurimaculatus
- Platycephalus bassensis
- Platycephalus caeruleopunctatus
- Platycephalus chauliodous
- Platycephalus conatus
- Platycephalus cultellatus
- Platycephalus endrachtensis
-
- Platycephalus fuscus
- Platycephalus indicus Linnaeus, 1758. Type species. Synonymous with P. spathula.
- Platycephalus laevigatus
- Platycephalus longispinis
- Platycephalus marmoratus
- Platycephalus micracanthus
- Platycephalus richardsoni
- Platycephalus speculatorPlatycephalus speculatorThe Southern Flathead or Yank Flathead is a common species of flathead found around the southern coast and offshore islands of Australia growing to 90cm and inhabiting a depth of from 8 to 30 metres...
- Genus Ratabulus
- Ratabulus diversidens
- Ratabulus megacephalus
- Genus Rogadius
- Rogadius asper
- Rogadius mcgroutheri
- Rogadius melanopterus
- Rogadius nigripinnis
- Rogadius patriciae
- Rogadius portuguesus
- Rogadius pristiger
- Rogadius serratus
- Rogadius welanderi
- Genus Solitas
- Solitas gruveli
- Genus Sorsogona
- Sorsogona prionota
- Sorsogona tuberculata
- Genus Suggrundus
- Suggrundus cooperi
- Suggrundus macracanthus
- Suggrundus meerdervoortii
- Genus Sunagocia
- Sunagocia otaitensis
- Genus Thysanophrys
- Thysanophrys armata
- Thysanophrys celebica
- Thysanophrys chiltonae
- Thysanophrys cirronasa
- Thysanophrys longirostris
- Thysanophrys papillaris