General Description
Body slender, with a small, narrow slightly flattened head, corner of gill cover with two spines, upper longer than lower; greenish to pale brown above, paler below, with darker bands including one through the eyes, a broken mid-lateral stripe and a yellow tail covered in dusky spots; some individuals spotted or marbled; juveniles strongly banded. Usually 35 cm long head to tail tip (up to 50 cm).
Biology
Generally active at night, this flathead rarely buries in sand and is usually seen resting amongst seagrasses or seaweed during the day.
Distribution
Southern Australia.
Habitat
Sand and seagrass beds in shallow bays.
More Information
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Animal Type
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Animal SubType
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Brief Id
Body slender, head not greatly flattened, corner of gill cover with two spines; greenish-brown with darks bands, tail with dusky spots.
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Habitats
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Diet
Carnivore
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Diet Categories
Fish, Invertebrates
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Endemicity
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Commercial
Yes
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Conservation Statuses
CITES: Not listed, FFG Threatened List: Not listed, EPBC Act 1999: Not listed, IUCN Red List: Not listed
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Depths
Shallow (1-30 m)
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Water Column Locations
On or near seafloor
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Taxon Name
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Scientific Author
Cuvier, 1829
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Common Name
Rock Flathead
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Kingdom
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Phylum
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Subphylum
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Superclass
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Class
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Order
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Family
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Genus
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Species Name
laevigatus