Thorny Flathead, Rogadius pristiger (Cuvier 1829)

North of the Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia, to east of Heron Island Queensland. Recorded elsewhere from New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Philippines, Gulf of Thailand, and northern Indian Ocean to Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, and Madagascar. Demersal in bays and coastal waters to depths of 95 m.

Dorsal fin IX or I,VIII, 10-12 (usually 11); Anal fin 10-12 (usually 11); Pectoral fin 20-24 (usually 22 or 23); V I, 5; Lateral line scales (pored) 49-55 (usually 52 or 53).

Body elongate, moderately depressed. Head large (length ~42% SL), moderately depressed, lower side of head unicarinate; supraorbital and suborbital ridges bearing many fine serrations. Preorbital spine lacking, several small serrations present; single preocular spine; ocular flap absent. Bands of villiform teeth in jaws; teeth on vomer in two separate oval patches. Preopercular spines 3-6 (usually 4 or 5), uppermost longest, with an accessory spine on base; antrorse spine long and strong; gill rakers 5-8 (usually 7). Interopercular flap absent. Scales ctenoid dorsally, cycloid on breast; oblique scale rows slanting backward above lateral line about equal to number of lateral-line scales; lateral-line scales 49-55 (usually 52 or 53), anterior 4-14 bearing a spine or ridge. scale pores of lateral line with 2 openings to the outside. First dorsal fin spinous base almost as long as base of second dorsal fin, first spine very short, attached to second spine by a low membrane, following spines much longer. Second dorsal fin with moderately long base, anterior rays longest, nearly as long as longest first dorsal spines. Anal fin similar in shape, opposite and slightly longer-based than second dorsal fin. Caudal fin truncate to rounded. Pectoral fins moderately elongate. Pelvic fins long, based below centre of pectoral fins.

Body and head brown dorsally, 3 or 4 dusky bands crossing back, paler ventrally. Outer posterior of spinous dorsal fin black, with a triangular light basal area towards front; soft dorsal fin with brown spots on rays. Caudal fin with a white basal band, a broad dusky submarginal band and a narrow white posterior edge; pectoral fins with base and lower edge white, upper rays with brown dash marks, middle of fin dusky.

May be taken in trawls.

Platycephalus pristiger Cuvier, in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1829, Hist. Nat. Poiss. 4: 260. Type locality: New Guinea; Sulawesi [Celebes], Indonesia.

Australian National Fish Collection, CSIRO & Bray, D.J. 2017

Australian Faunal Directory