Bullhead Gurnard, Bovitrigla leptacanthus (Günther 1880)


Other Names: Black-finned Gurnard, Spotted Bullheaded Gurnard

Bullhead Gurnard, Bovitrigla leptacanthus. Source: Australian National Fish Collection, CSIRO. License: All rights reserved

Summary:
This species was previously placed in the genus Pterygotrigla.

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2018, Bovitrigla leptacanthus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 30 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/3758

Bullhead Gurnard, Bovitrigla leptacanthus (Günther 1880)

More Info


Distribution

North of Karatha, Western Australia, to north of Darwin, Northern Territory. Elsewhere the species occurs in the  west Pacific - Indo-Australian Archipelago.

Features

Head large, triangular; nasal spine present, opercular spine short, nuchal spine long, rostral spines moderately long, antrorse rostral spine absent, and cleithral spine long. Base of first dorsal fin with about 10 flat plates, first plate extends in advance of first dorsal-fin spine. Pectoral fins moderate  in size, 38 to 41% of standard length. Lateral-line scales small, more than 70 rows.

Colour

In preservative: uniformly tan with black spots on back.

Etymology

[derivation apparently from the Greek leptos = slender + akantha = thorn or spine, transliterated by Günther as a noun in apposition]

Species Citation

Trigla leptacanthus Günther 1880, Report on the Scientific Results of the Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger 1873–1876, Zoology 1(6): 42, pl.18 (fig.B). Type locality: Kai Islands, Challenger station 192, Indonesia, Banda Sea, depth 129 fathoms.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2018

Resources

Australian Faunal Directory

Bullhead Gurnard, Bovitrigla leptacanthus (Günther 1880)

References


Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls. 

Allen, G.R. 2009. Field Guide to Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-East Asia. Welshpool : Western Australian Museum Edn. 4, pp. 287. 

Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls. 

Gloerfelt-Tarp, T. & Kailola, P.J. 1984. Trawled Fishes of Southern Indonesia and Northwest Australia. Jakarta : Dir. Gen. Fish. (Indonesia), German Tech. Coop., Aust. Dev. Ass. Bur. 406 pp. 

Günther, A. 1880. Report on the shore fishes procured during the voyage of H.M.S Challenger, in the years 1872–1876. Report on the Scientific Results of the Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger 1873–1876, Zoology 1(6): 1-82 pls 1-32 

Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P. 2013. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa 3696(1): 1-293 

Richards, W.J. 1999. Family Triglidae. pp. 2359-2382 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 4 pp. 2069-2790. 

Richards, W.J. & Jones, D.L. 2002. Preliminary classification of the gurnards (Triglidae: Scorpaeniformes). Marine and Freshwater Research 53(2): 275-282 

Sainsbury, K.J., Kailola, P.J. & Leyland, G.G. 1984. Continental Shelf Fishes of Northern and North-Western Australia. Canberra : Fisheries Information Service 375 pp. figs & pls.

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37288014

Depth:143-248 m

Max Size:15 cm TL

Species Image Gallery

Species Maps

CAAB distribution map