African armoured searobin (Peristedion cataphractum)

Scientific name: Peristedion cataphractum Linnaeus, 1758

The African armoured searobin (Peristedion cataphractum) is a marine fish of the family Peristediidae. Native range: Eastern Atlantic, British Isles and English Channel to Angola, including the Mediterranean.

Biology

Depth range from 50-600 m and from 288-848 m in the eastern Ionian Sea. Gregarious. Occurs on muddy or rocky bottoms of the shelf. Digs the mud with its rostrum, searching for prey; stands and walks on the bottom with its free pectoral rays. After a pelagic existence, the juveniles live in coastal waters before migrating to deeper waters. Minimum depth range taken from.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Peristedion cataphractum
Family: Peristediidae (Armored searobins or armored gurnards)
Order: Scorpaeniformes (Scorpionfishes and Flatheads)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 40.0
Common length: 18.0
Depth range: 50–848 m (164–2782 ft)
Environment: Marine; demersal; depth range 50 - 848 m, usually ? - 150 m
Climate: Deep-water
Distribution: Eastern Atlantic: British Isles and English Channel to Angola, including the Mediterranean.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: subsistence fisheries
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026