Tiger flathead (Platycephalus richardsoni)

Scientific name: Platycephalus richardsoni Castelnau, 1872

Tiger flathead (Platycephalus richardsoni)

The Tiger flathead (Platycephalus richardsoni) is a marine fish of the family Platycephalidae. Native range: Southwest Pacific, known only from Coffs Harbor in northern New South Wales to Portland in Victoria, including Bass Strait and Tasmania.

Biology

Found in inshore waters over the continental shelf. Sometimes entering coastal bays. Tiger flathead are not active fish and will normally rest on the sea bed during the day in areas of mud and sand substrate. They may migrate into the water column at night following prey species. Adults feed mainly on small fish such as silversides and three-spined cardinal fish while juveniles feed primarily on crustaceans including krill. The young inhabit shallow waters of the continental shelf and move into the outer shelf zone as they reach maturity.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Platycephalus richardsoni
Family
Platycephalidae (Flatheads)
Order
Scorpaeniformes (Scorpionfishes and Flatheads)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
65.0
Depth range
10–400 m (33–1312 ft)
Environment
Marine; demersal; depth range 10 - 400 m, usually ? - 200 m
Climate
Subtropical
Distribution
Southwest Pacific: known only from Coffs Harbor in northern New South Wales to Portland in Victoria, including Bass Strait and Tasmania.
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=0.17-0.38; tm=4-5; tmax=12, Fec=1.5 million)

Sources

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

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