Bigeye Gurnard Perch, Maxillicosta lopholepis (Eschmeyer and Poss, 1976)
Click to enlarge image
© Western Australian Museum
Fast Facts
-
Classification
- Genus
- Maxillicosta
- Species
- lopholepis
- Family
- Neosebastidae
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Subphylum
- Vertebrata
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Kingdom
- Animalia
-
- Size Range
- The species grows to 5 cm in length.
Introduction
The Bigeye Gurnard Perch is a very rare species that is only known from six specimens collected from off Shark Bay, Western Australia. The scales behind the head and above the lateral line have a strong spine on the posterior margin and no serrae on a median ridge. The Bigeye Gurnard Perch is the only species of Maxillicosta that has this scale structure. Nothing is known of its live colouration or habitat requirements.
Identification
The scales behind the head and above the lateral line of the Bigeye Gurnard Perch have a strong spine on the posterior margin and no serrae on a median ridge. The Bigeye Gurnard Perch is the only species of Maxillicosta that has this scale structure.
Nothing is known of its live colouration.
Line drawing of a Bigeye Gurnard Perch scale. The scale is from above the lateral line, behind the head. Illustration based on that in Eschmeyer and Poss (1976: fig. 2c).
Image: Hiroyuki Motomura© Hiroyuki Motomura
Habitat
The species has been collected from depths between 40 m and 120 m.
Distribution
The Bigeye Gurnard Perch is a very rare species that is only known from six specimens collected from off Shark Bay, Western Australia.
The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Source: Atlas of Living Australia.
References
- Eschmeyer, W.N. and S.G. Poss. 1976. Review of the scorpionfish genus Maxillicosta (Pisces: Scorpaenidae), with a description of three new species from the Australian-New Zealand region. Bulletin of Marine Science. 26(4): 433-449.
