Sea cuckoo
| Sea cuckoo | ||||||||||||
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Sea cuckoo ( Chelidonichthys cuculus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Chelidonichthys cuculus | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The sea cuckoo ( Chelidonichthys cuculus , syn .: Aspitrigla cuculus ) is a kind of the gurnard (Triglidae) within the perch-like (Perciformes). Its distribution area extends from Norway to West Africa, and it can also be found in the North Sea and the Mediterranean.
features
The sea cuckoo has an elongated and conical body with a large head that narrows towards the back. He reaches an average body length of 40 centimeters with a weight of about 1 kilogram, the maximum length is 56 centimeters. The head has a large and terminal mouth with fleshy lips and 4 small spines on the upper lip, the eyes are very large. The back and the flanks are reddish with dark transverse bands, the belly is white. The top of the pectoral fins is gray, yellowish, or reddish.
The pectoral fins are large, the foremost three hard rays have no fin skin and are freely movable as individual rays. The pelvic fins are throaty. The dorsal fin is divided, the first hard-radiating dorsal fin is much shorter and higher than the second soft-rayed. The front dorsal fin consists of 9 to 10 hard rays, the second from 17 to 18 soft rays. The anal fin has 16 to 18 soft rays.
distribution
The sea cuckoo can be found in the north-eastern Atlantic from Great Britain and the North Sea to West Africa as well as around the Azores and the Canary Islands as well as in the Mediterranean .
Way of life
The fish lives on sandy and rocky seabeds at depths of 20 to 250, but it can also be found up to a depth of 400 meters. The sea cuckoo feeds on crustaceans , molluscs and small fish. The spawning season falls from April to August. The eggs are released into the open water and float in the surface water due to stored oil droplets. The known maximum age is 21 years.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d Seekuckuck on Fishbase.org (English)
- ↑ a b c d Andreas Vilcinskas : Fish - Central European freshwater species and marine fish of the North and Baltic Seas . BLV Verlagsgesellschaft, Munich 2000; P. 168. ISBN 3-405-15848-6 .
literature
- Andreas Vilcinskas : Fish - Central European freshwater species and marine fish of the North and Baltic Seas . BLV Verlagsgesellschaft, Munich 2000; P. 168. ISBN 3-405-15848-6 .
Web links
- Seekuckuck on Fishbase.org (English)