Red Gurnard, Chelidonichthys kumu (Cuvier 1829)
Other Names: Bluefin Gurnard, Flying Fish, Flying Gurnard, Gurnard, Kumu Gurnard, Kumukumu (NZ), Latchet

A Red Gurnard, Chelidonichthys kumu, caught at Browns Mountain, off Sydney (New South Wales). Source: Brenden Kong. License: All rights reserved
Summary:
A large reddish to reddish-brown gurnard becoming silvery-white below, with a mostly smooth snout and a row of prominent bony scales along the dorsal fin bases. The inner surface of the pectoral fin is olive-green to greyish or purplish with scattered blue spots, a blue margin, and a large black blotch sometimes with white to bluish speckles near the fin base.
Video of a Red Gurnard at a baited underwater camera off New South Wales, depth 50 m.
Video of a Red Gurnard at a baited underwater camera off New South Wales, depth 50 m.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2018, Chelidonichthys kumu in Fishes of Australia, accessed 06 Feb 2023, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/3752
Red Gurnard, Chelidonichthys kumu (Cuvier 1829)
More Info
Distribution |
Widespread in eastern and southern Australia from off Brisbane, southern Queensland, around southern Australia including Tasmania, to Shark Bay, Western Australia; also off Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. Adults frequently occur at depths of 77-150 m; juveniles enter shallow bays and estuaries, and also inhabit coastal sandy areas. |
Features |
Dorsal fin VIII-IX + 15-16; Anal fin 14-15; Caudal fin 11; pectoral fin 11+3; Pelvic fin I, 5; Lateral line scales 62-65. Skull without a groove behind eye; front margin of bony rostrum with a broad medial notch or indentation in front of eyes, rostrum mostly smooth without prominent spines. Scales small, somewhat embedded, in 110-120 diagonal rows above lateral line; scales absent from chest and front part of belly; enlarged thorn-like bucklers present along the bases of both dorsal fins; lateral line splitting into two branches on caudal fin. Caudal-fin margin distinctly concave; Pectoral fins large, fin tip extending well beyond the anal-fin origin; lower pectoral-fin rays thickened and free from membrane. |
Fisheries |
Often taken in bottom trawls, and also on hook and line. The firm slightly dry flesh is excellent eating. |
Species Citation |
Trigla kumu Cuvier, 1829, Histoire Naturelle des Poissons 4: 50. Type locality: New Zealand. |
Author |
Bray, D.J. 2018 |
Resources |
Red Gurnard, Chelidonichthys kumu (Cuvier 1829)
References
Coleman, N. & Mobley, M. 1984. Diets of commercially exploited fish from Bass Strait and adjacent Victorian waters, southeastern Australia. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 35(5): 549-560.
Cuvier, G.L. in Cuvier, G.L. & Valenciennes, A. 1829. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : Levrault Vol. 4 518 pp. pls 72-99.
Elder, R.D. 1976. Studies on age and growth, reproduction and population dynamics of red gurnard (Chelidonichthys kumu, Lesson and Garnot) in the Hauraki Gulf. New Zealand Fisheries Research Bulletin 12: 1-77.
Gomon, M.F. 1994. Family Triglidae. pp. 494-505 figs 442-450 in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs.
Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp.
Johnson, J.W. 1999. Annotated checklist of the fishes of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 43(2): 709-762.
Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp.
Yearsley, G.K., Last, P.R. & Ward, R.D. (eds) 1999. Australian Seafood Handbook. Hobart : CSIRO Marine Research 460 pp.