The flying gurnard (''Dactylopterus volitans''), also known as the helmet gurnard, is a bottom-dwelling fish of

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

to warm temperate waters on both sides of the Atlantic. On the American side, it is found as far north as

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(exceptionally as far as Canada) and as far south as

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, including the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. On the European and African side, it ranges from the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

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, including the Mediterranean. This is the only species in the

monotypic genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

''Dactylopterus''. Similar and related species from the genus '' Dactyloptena'' are found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. This fish is variable in coloration, being brownish or greenish with reddish or yellowish patches. When excited, the fish spreads its "wings", which are semi-transparent, with a phosphorescent bright blue coloration at their tips. The fish also has large eyes. It reaches up to in length and in weight. The fish's main diet consists of small fish, bivalves, and crustaceans.

References

External links

* * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1433392 flying gurnard Fish of the Atlantic Ocean flying gurnard Fish of Cuba Fish of the Dominican Republic flying gurnard