Dusky flathead (Platycephalus fuscus)

Scientific name: Platycephalus fuscus Cuvier, 1829

Dusky flathead (Platycephalus fuscus)

The Dusky flathead (Platycephalus fuscus) is a brackish-water fish of the family Platycephalidae. Native range: Western Pacific, endemic to Australia. Present along the east coast between approximately Cairns, Queensland and Gippsland lakes in eastern Victoria.

Biology

Generally inhabit shallow bays and inlets and can be found in estuaries as far as tidal limits; they often invade freshwater. They occur over mud, silt gravel, sand and seagrass (mainly Zostera species) beds from intertidal areas to depths of 10 m in Queensland and to 30 m in southern New South Wales. Eggs and larvae are dispersed along the coast by tidal and current movements. Small juveniles less than 12 cm TL first appear in coastal bays 1-2 months after spawning. They mainly inhabit shallow mangrove and mud flats and seagrass beds. They are usually solitary but may form loose aggregations. Feed on small fish, crabs, prawns, small crustaceans. octopus, squid and polychaete worms. They have spines on the outer edges of their head which can inflict nasty cuts during handling (pers. comm., B

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Platycephalus fuscus
Family
Platycephalidae (Flatheads)
Order
Scorpaeniformes (Scorpionfishes and Flatheads)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
120
Depth range
0–30 m (0–98 ft)
Environment
Marine; brackish; demersal; depth range 0 - 30 m
Climate
Subtropical
Distribution
Western Pacific: endemic to Australia. Present along the east coast between approximately Cairns, Queensland and Gippsland lakes in eastern Victoria.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.22; tm=2)

Sources

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

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