Japanese flathead (Inegocia japonica)

Scientific name: Inegocia japonica Cuvier, 1829

The Japanese flathead (Inegocia japonica) is a marine fish of the family Platycephalidae.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11-13; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 11 - 13. Preopercular spines usually 3, upper spine short, subequal with next; small accessory spine usually present. Suborbital ridge usually smooth except for two spines under eye. Interopercular flap present.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Inegocia japonica
Family: Platycephalidae (Flatheads)
Order: Scorpaeniformes (Scorpionfishes and Flatheads)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 35.0
Common length: 20.0
Depth range: 7–85 m (23–279 ft)
Environment: Marine; demersal; non-migratory; depth range 7 - 85 m
Climate: Deep-water
Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: widespread, from Sri Lanka and India north to southern Japan; south to the Philippines; South China Sea; Gulf of Thailand; Indonesia; Papua New Guinea; the Arafura Sea; Australia from Cockburn Sound, Western Australia to Moreton Bay, Queensland. A record from Reunion is based on a single specimen (MNHN 6846, holotype of Platycephalus borboniensis) that seems to be in error.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: minor commercial
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