Spiny red gurnard
(Chelidonichthys spinosus)
General data
The spiny red gurnard (Chelidonichthys spinosus) is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins.
The spiny red gurnard has a large triangular shaped head which bears a number of ridges and spines, although it does not have an occipital groove. The diameter of the eyes exceeds the distance between them. Both the soft-rayed dorsal fin and the anal fin contain between 15 and 17 soft rays and the base of both the dorsal fins have small, robustly spined plates, known as bucklers, which result in ossification of the pteridygiophores. There are small scales on the body but the breast lacks scales.
The overall colour is olive or brownish, changing to red under stress. The lower part of the pectoral fins has a large number of bluish spots scattered over it. There is sometimes a black blotch on the inner pectoral fin.
This species has attained a maximum published total length of 40 cm (16 in) and a maximum published weight of 950 g (34 oz).
The spiny red gurnard is found in the northwestern Pacific Ocean in the China Sea, Yellow Sea and in Japan mainly west of Kyushu. Occurs in the tropical to warm temperate areas on sandy or sandy mud substrates at depths of 25 to 630 m (82 to 2,067 ft).
