Alligator fish
| Alligator fish | ||||||||||||
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Alligator fish ( Cociella crocodila ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Cociella crocodila | ||||||||||||
| ( Cuvier , 1829) |
The alligator fish ( Cociella crocodila ) is a marine fish from the flat head family (Platycephalidae). In English and at the FAO , the bony fish is referred to as "Crocodile flathead" (crocodile flat head), another English name is "Spotted Flathead" (spotted flat head).
features
Cociella crocodila usually reaches a length of 40 cm TL , the maximum length is 50 cm TL. The body is brownish in color, with small dark spots on the upper side and usually with 4 to 5 dark bands running down the back. A broad black band runs close to the edge of the dorsal fin, below there are small black spots, the other fins are darkly spotted.
- Fin formula : dorsal IX / 11, anal 11
distribution
The alligator fish can be found on reefs and other bottom structures of the continental shelf in warmer seas (up to 26 ° C). The depth varies from 10 m to 300 m. The alligator fish is native to the Indian Ocean from the Red Sea and the East African coast via the Solomon Islands to India and in the western Pacific in Indonesia and the Philippines and between Japan and northern Australia .
nutrition
The alligator fish, mostly buried in sand, lies in wait for its prey. Only his eyes can be seen. The flattened shape of his head and body helps him. This shape is then similar to a lurking alligator and has contributed to the German-language naming of this fish. If a prey comes near it, it can grab it in a flash. It feeds on smaller fish such as coral fish of all kinds, shrimp and other crustaceans .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c alligator fish on Fishbase.org (English)
Web links
- Alligator fish on Fishbase.org (English)
- Cociella crocodila inthe IUCN 2017-1 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: H. Motomura, K. Matsuura, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2017.