Dactyloptena orientalis (Cuvier, 1829)
Oriental flying gurnard
Dactyloptena orientalis
photo by Yin, Robert

 Family:  Dactylopteridae (Flying gurnards)
 Max. size:  40 cm TL (male/unsexed)
 Environment:  reef-associated; depth range 1 - 100 m
 Distribution:  Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to the Hawaiian, Marquesan and Tuamoto islands, north to southern Japan and the Ogasawara Islands, south to Australia and New Zealand.
 Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 7-7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-9; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 6-7. Heavily armored box-like body and wing-like pectoral fins (Ref. 37816). Description: Characterized by greyish to light brown color with large dark-edged brown spots on back and upper sides; numerous dark-edged brown or orange spots and wavy blue lines on pectoral fins; depth of body 5.1-6.6 in SL; interorbital width 13-15% of SL; wing-like pectoral fins with short filamentous extensions of each ray along outer margin (Ref. 90102).
 Biology:  Inhabit coastal waters with sandy substrates (Ref. 1602, 48635); a shallow-living species, benthic in adults; only species found in oceanic islands (Ref. 27821). Solitary, well-camouflaged and slow-moving (Ref. 37816, 48635). Feed on crustaceans, clams, and small fish. May be caught using ring nets (Ref. 5213).
 IUCN Red List Status:   (Ref. 96402)
 Threat to humans:  harmless
 Country info:   
 

 Entered by: Binohlan, Crispina B. - 25.06.91
 Modified by: OrtaƱez, Auda Kareen - 07.11.08
 Checked by: Sa-a, Pascualita - 18.09.95

Source and more info: www.fishbase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.


Page created by Jen, 05.08.02, php script by kbanasihan 06/09/2010 ,  last modified by dsantos, 20/08/10