Common names from other countries
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Dactylopteriformes (Flying gurnards) >
Dactylopteridae (Flying gurnards)
Etymology: Dactylopterus: Greek, daktyleys, -eos = a kind of grey mullet + + Greek, pteron = fin (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Linnaeus.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; brackish; reef-associated; depth range 1 - 100 m (Ref. 26999). Subtropical; 52°N - 45°S, 98°W - 36°E
Eastern Atlantic: English Channel to Angola, including the Mediterranean, Madeira, and the Azores. Western Atlantic: Canada (Ref. 5951) to Massachusetts, USA and the Gulf of Mexico to Argentina.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 19.5  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 50.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 6544); common length : 38.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3397); max. published weight: 1.8 kg (Ref. 4699)
Found on sand, mud or over rocks in sandy areas, exploring the bottom with the free part of the pectoral fins (Ref. 6544). Feeds primarily on benthic crustaceans, especially crabs, clams and small fishes. Neither anterolateral glandural groove nor venom gland is present (Ref. 57406).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Eschmeyer, W.N. and L.J. Dempster, 1990. Dactylopteridae. p. 690-691. In J. C. Quero, J. C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post, and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2. (Ref. 10782)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
CITES (Ref. 131153)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: commercial
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
115969): 13.3 - 27.8, mean 23.9 (based on 1072 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 1.0078 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01023 (0.00782 - 0.01340), b=2.97 (2.89 - 3.05), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.7 ±0.5 se; based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate vulnerability (37 of 100).