Helmet flight cock
| Helmet flight cock | ||||||||||||
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Helmet flying cock ( Dactyloptena orientalis ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Dactyloptena orientalis | ||||||||||||
| ( Cuvier , 1829) |
The helmet cockle ( Dactyloptena orientalis ) is a marine fish that occurs from the Red Sea over the tropical Indian Ocean to the Pacific (Japan, Australia, New Zealand). It is the only species of cockatoo that also inhabits the coasts of oceanic islands, e.g. B. from Ogasawara , Hawaii , Marquesas and Tuamotu .
features
The helmet flight cock has an elongated body that tapers more and more from front to back. It is characterized by very enlarged pectoral fins that are used like wings when swimming. The head is large and almost square in cross-section. The helmet flight cock reaches an average length of 20 centimeters, the maximum length can be up to 40 centimeters. The head and body are heavily armored. The species can be distinguished from other cocks through dark spots on the wing-like, enlarged pectoral fins, which are only clearly developed from a size of 15 centimeters.
- Fin formula : dorsal VII / 9, anal 0 / 6–7.
Way of life
The helmet cockle lives as a solitary animal, rarely in pairs, especially on sandy and muddy bottoms in water near the coast at depths of one to 100 meters. The animals often dig in during the day. It feeds mainly on invertebrates such as crabs , molluscs , small fish and worms. The eggs are elongated and are released into the open water. They float in surface water due to stored oil droplets.
literature
- Hans A. Baensch / Robert A. Patzner: Mergus Sea Water Atlas Volume 6 Non-Perciformes (Non-Perciformes) , Mergus-Verlag, Melle, 1998, ISBN 3-88244-116-X
Web links
- Helm -flugahn on Fishbase.org (English)