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Platycephalus fuscus Cuvier, 1829

Dusky flathead
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Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Platycephalus fuscus   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Platycephalus fuscus (Dusky flathead)
Platycephalus fuscus
Picture by Banks, I.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Perciformes/Scorpaenoidei (Scorpionfishes) > Platycephalidae (Flatheads)
Etymology: Platycephalus: Greek, platys = flat + Greek, kephale = head (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Cuvier.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; brackish; demersal; depth range 0 - 30 m (Ref. 6390). Subtropical; 17°S - 38°S

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Western Pacific: endemic to Australia. Present along the east coast between approximately Cairns, Queensland (Ref.27242) and Gippsland lakes in eastern Victoria.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm 50.2  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 120 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 27112); max. published weight: 15.0 kg (Ref. 27248)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 8 - 9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13 - 14; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 13 - 14; Vertebrae: 27.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Generally inhabit shallow bays and inlets and can be found in estuaries as far as tidal limits (Ref. 27246); they often invade freshwater. They occur over mud, silt gravel, sand and seagrass (mainly Zostera species) beds from intertidal areas to depths of 10 m in Queensland and to 30 m in southern New South Wales. Eggs and larvae are dispersed along the coast by tidal and current movements (Ref. 27112). Small juveniles less than 12 cm TL first appear in coastal bays 1-2 months after spawning. They mainly inhabit shallow mangrove and mud flats and seagrass beds (Ref. 27246, 27245). They are usually solitary but may form loose aggregations (Ref. 2165, 27247). Feed on small fish, crabs, prawns, small crustaceans. octopus, squid and polychaete worms. They have spines on the outer edges of their head which can inflict nasty cuts during handling (pers. comm., Bernard Moss, 2001).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

There is conflicting information (Ref. 27246, 27245, 27247) on whether dusky flahead are protandrous sex reversers or not.

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Paxton, J.R., D.F. Hoese, G.R. Allen and J.E. Hanley, 1989. Pisces. Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Zoological Catalogue of Australia, Vol. 7. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 665 p. (Ref. 7300)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)


CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet composition
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Ecology
Ecology
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Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
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Maturity/Gills rel.
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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoobank | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 19.1 - 27.1, mean 25.2 °C (based on 291 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00457 (0.00230 - 0.00908), b=3.09 (2.91 - 3.27), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  4.1   ±0.52 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.22; tm=2).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  High to very high vulnerability (72 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   High.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 132 [8, 523] mg/100g; Iron = 2.27 [0.58, 6.12] mg/100g; Protein = 19.2 [16.9, 21.6] %; Omega3 = 0.481 [0.216, 1.350] g/100g; Selenium = 54.4 [13.6, 213.1] μg/100g; VitaminA = 4.35 [1.42, 12.68] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.72 [0.34, 1.57] mg/100g (wet weight);