Peristedion cataphractum (Linnaeus, 1758)
African armoured searobin
Peristedion cataphractum
photo by Garcia-Franco, M.

Family:  Peristediidae (Armored searobins or armored gurnards)
Max. size:  40 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  demersal; marine; depth range 50 - 848 m
Distribution:  Eastern Atlantic: British Isles and English Channel to Angola, including the Mediterranean.
Diagnosis:   
Biology:  Depth range from 50-600 m (Ref. 10780) and from 288-848 m in the eastern Ionian Sea (Ref. 56504). 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 (Ref. 6556). Minimum depth range taken from Ref. 27000.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 15 July 2014 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


Source and more info: www.fishbase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.