Flying Gurnard

[clgsamson]

Is this a rare fish? What family?

 

[MilitantMedic]

I don't know about rare...I see them fairly often here in Hawaii. Usally in the 20'-30' range. My book says they are from the family Dactylopteridae and related to scorpionfish.

 

[redrover]

I looked a couple of places and nothing mentioned any rarity. I’ve seen them here in Hawaii. Have to say not easy to see, here at least, as they blend into the bottom. First one I just thought I saw something sorta odd on the sea bottom and couldn’t find it until it moved, even then very hard to pick out from the floor and follow actual outline trying to see enough to be able to identify later in book. Really looked like a bird, very confusing image. LOL

Flying Gurnards Dactylopteriformes

Vertebrata > Fishes > Bony Fishes > Spiny-finned Fishes > Scorpaenidae > Flying Gurnards

http://www.infochembio.ethz.ch/links/en/zool_fische_flughaehne.html

Any of that help?

 

[clgsamson]

yes thanks for the help. Here at the Anilao, Philippines it is a rarity cuz it is not often seen, ergo the "rare" connotation.

 

[Vie]

Flying Gurnards are not rare at all—you can find them in locations in the Atlantic and across the Indo-Pacific region. Saw my first one at Hairball in Lembeh.

 

[Damselfish]

like alot of fish, there will be places where a species exists but is rare, and others where it is common. I've seen places in the Carribean littered with them.

 

[drbill]

I wrote one of my weekly newspaper columns on this species after filming one in a shallow lagoon off a small caye in Belize. Here is the link to that article which has some info on the species:

http://www.starthrower.org/products/DDDB/DDDB_050-099/DDDB_088 flying gurnard.htm

Dr. Bill

 

[marku]

We see them quite often in Dumaguete (Central Philippines). Always on the sand in 10-30m. Juveniles and adults (12cm to 30cm). They're kinda tough to spot @ first, especially w/ their wings tucked up. But once they know that they've been spotted and they spread their wings they're impossible to miss.

 

[Jamdiver]

They're not particularly rare down here.
I've seen a few since I started diving, I prefer Black durgons though

 

[Jamdiver]

Here is some more info about the flying gurnard, courtesy of Fishbase.
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?genusname=Dactylopterus&speciesname=volitans