''Lepidotrigla argus'', the long-finned sea gurnard or eye gurnard, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of marine, demersal
ray-finned fish
Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species.
The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...
from the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Triglidae
Triglidae, commonly known as gurnards or sea robins, are a family of bottom-feeding scorpaeniform ray-finned fish. The gurnards are distributed in temperate and tropical seas worldwide.
Taxonomy
Triglidae was first described as a family in 181 ...
, the gurnards and sea robins. It is found in the Indo-West
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
.
Taxonomy
''Lepidotrigla argus'' was first formally
described in 1910 by the Irish born Australian
herpetologist
Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians ( gymnophiona)) and rep ...
and
ichthyologist James Douglas Ogilby with its
type localities given as between
South Hill and
Cape Gloucester in
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
and
Cape Bryon in
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
.
The
specific name ''argus'' refers to
Argus, the mythical hundred-eyed giant who was the guardian of
Io, after his death his many eyes were changed into the feathers of a peacock, thought to be a reference to the vivid red or orange spot on the first dorsal fin.
Description
''Lepidotrigla argus'' attains a maximum published length of .
There is a bright red or orange spot on the first dorsal fin.
[
]
Distribution and habitat
''Lepidotrigla argus'' is endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to Australia where it is found from the Houtman Abrolhos Islands to Rowley Shoals
The Rowley Shoals is a group of three atoll-like coral reefs south of the Timor Sea, about west of Broome on the northwestern Australian coast, centered on , on the edge of one of the widest continental shelves in the world. Each atoll cover ...
in Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
and from Cape York south to off Disaster Bay, New South Wales,[ This is a benthic species of the continental shelf, living on soft substrates at depths between .][
]
Biology
''Lepidotrigla argus'' has a estimated longevity of more than 6 years and the mean length at which sexual maturity was reached is in females and in males. Studies on the gonads
A gonad, sex gland, or reproductive gland is a mixed gland that produces the gametes and sex hormones of an organism. Female reproductive cells are egg cells, and male reproductive cells are sperm. The male gonad, the testicle, produces sper ...
of captured fishes suggested that long-fiined gurnards spawn in all months, however the recruitment of new individuals into the population occurs periodically. Juveniles settle into shallow nursery areas at depths between and when the are sexually mature they move into deeper waters between .
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1834191
argus
Fish of the Pacific Ocean
Fish described in 1910
Taxa named by James Douglas Ogilby