ONIGOCIA SPINOSA - (TEMMINCK & SCHLEGEL, 1843)
Picture courtesy of: Damien Brouste
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Perciformes (Order) > Scorpaenoidei (Suborder) > Platycephalidae (Family) > Onigocia (Genus)
Midget flathead, Largescaled spiny flathead, Spiny flathead, Onigochi, オニゴチ, 비늘양태, Jú chĭ lí yǒng, 鋸齒鱗鯒, 鬼牛尾魚,
Synonymes
Insidiator spinosus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843)
Platycephalus spinosus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843)
Thysanophrys spinosus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843)
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Distribution
Dorsal spines (total): 9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11-12; Anal soft rays: 11-12; Pectoral fin rays: 20-23 (usually: 21-22); Pelvic fin rays: I, 5; Lateral line scales (pored): 34-42 (usually: 37-38). Body elongate. Head large (length 37-42% in SL), moderately depressed, with several low, mostly spined, ridges; Eyes large (~27-30% in HL) with ocular flap; 3-6 preocular spines; Mouth with small, sharp teeth; Three preopercular spines at angle of preopercle, uppermost longest; Interopercular flap absent; Total gill rakers on first gill arch: 5-6 (usually: 5). Scales finely ctenoid dorsally, cycloid ventrally, covering body and most of head behind eyes, not deciduous; Oblique scale rows slanting backward above lateral line are about equal to the number of lateral-line scales; 34-42 (usually: 37-38), anterior: 8-15 scales bearing spines. Scale pores of lateral line with 2 openings to the exterior. First dorsal fin spinous with short base, first spine short, following spines much longer. Second dorsal fin with moderately long base, anterior rays longest, nearly as long as longest first dorsal spines. Anal fin similar in shape, and opposite and slightly longer-based than second dorsal fin. Caudal fin truncate to slightly rounded. Pectoral fins moderately small. Pelvic fins long, based below centre of pectoral fins, reaching to about anal fin origin. Max. length: 25.0 cm TL, common length: 10.0 cm TL. Depth range: 8 - 250 m.
Color
Head and body tan or brown above, pale below; Back crossed by about 3-4 darker bands. Anal fin pale, with a faint submarginal band; Anterior half of spinous dorsal fin with brown spots on spines, posterior half of fin brown with yellow flecks, may have dusky blotches forming about 3 horizontal bands; Soft dorsal fin with series of brown spots forming horizontal bands; Pectoral fins with dark spots forming vertical bands; Pelvic fins mostly dark, light distally.
Etymology
Onigacia: latinization of Onigogochi = devil flathead. Japanese common name for Onigacia spinosa. Gochi, also spelled kochi, is a general name in Japanese for species of Platycephalidae and Callionymidae (Syngnathiformes).
spinosa: from Latin, spinosa = spiny. Allusion not explained.
Original description: Platycephalus spinosus Temminck & Schlegel, 1843 - Type locality: Nagasaki, Japan.
Distribution
Eastern Indian Ocean, western Pacific: Indonesia east to Philippines and New Ireland (Papua New Guinea), north to southern Sea of Japan (Korea, Japan), south to Western Australia and New Caledonia.
Biology
Occurs inshore. Taken by trawling over sand and mud bottoms. Nocturnal, buried in the substrate during the day. Venomous spines.
Similar species
Onigocia bimaculata (Knapp, Imamura & Sakashita, 2000) - Reported from New Caledonia.
Onigocia lacrimalis (Imamura & Knapp, 2009) - Reported from New Caledonia.
Onigocia pedimacula (Regan, 1908) - Reported from New Caledonia.
Rogadius welanderi (Schultz, 1966) - Reported from New Caledonia.
Last update: 17, March 2024
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Perciformes (Order) > Scorpaenoidei (Suborder) > Platycephalidae (Family) > Onigocia (Genus)
Midget flathead, Largescaled spiny flathead, Spiny flathead, Onigochi, オニゴチ, 비늘양태, Jú chĭ lí yǒng, 鋸齒鱗鯒, 鬼牛尾魚,
Synonymes
Insidiator spinosus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843)
Platycephalus spinosus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843)
Thysanophrys spinosus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843)
---------------------------
Distribution
Dorsal spines (total): 9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11-12; Anal soft rays: 11-12; Pectoral fin rays: 20-23 (usually: 21-22); Pelvic fin rays: I, 5; Lateral line scales (pored): 34-42 (usually: 37-38). Body elongate. Head large (length 37-42% in SL), moderately depressed, with several low, mostly spined, ridges; Eyes large (~27-30% in HL) with ocular flap; 3-6 preocular spines; Mouth with small, sharp teeth; Three preopercular spines at angle of preopercle, uppermost longest; Interopercular flap absent; Total gill rakers on first gill arch: 5-6 (usually: 5). Scales finely ctenoid dorsally, cycloid ventrally, covering body and most of head behind eyes, not deciduous; Oblique scale rows slanting backward above lateral line are about equal to the number of lateral-line scales; 34-42 (usually: 37-38), anterior: 8-15 scales bearing spines. Scale pores of lateral line with 2 openings to the exterior. First dorsal fin spinous with short base, first spine short, following spines much longer. Second dorsal fin with moderately long base, anterior rays longest, nearly as long as longest first dorsal spines. Anal fin similar in shape, and opposite and slightly longer-based than second dorsal fin. Caudal fin truncate to slightly rounded. Pectoral fins moderately small. Pelvic fins long, based below centre of pectoral fins, reaching to about anal fin origin. Max. length: 25.0 cm TL, common length: 10.0 cm TL. Depth range: 8 - 250 m.
Color
Head and body tan or brown above, pale below; Back crossed by about 3-4 darker bands. Anal fin pale, with a faint submarginal band; Anterior half of spinous dorsal fin with brown spots on spines, posterior half of fin brown with yellow flecks, may have dusky blotches forming about 3 horizontal bands; Soft dorsal fin with series of brown spots forming horizontal bands; Pectoral fins with dark spots forming vertical bands; Pelvic fins mostly dark, light distally.
Etymology
Onigacia: latinization of Onigogochi = devil flathead. Japanese common name for Onigacia spinosa. Gochi, also spelled kochi, is a general name in Japanese for species of Platycephalidae and Callionymidae (Syngnathiformes).
spinosa: from Latin, spinosa = spiny. Allusion not explained.
Original description: Platycephalus spinosus Temminck & Schlegel, 1843 - Type locality: Nagasaki, Japan.
Distribution
Eastern Indian Ocean, western Pacific: Indonesia east to Philippines and New Ireland (Papua New Guinea), north to southern Sea of Japan (Korea, Japan), south to Western Australia and New Caledonia.
Biology
Occurs inshore. Taken by trawling over sand and mud bottoms. Nocturnal, buried in the substrate during the day. Venomous spines.
Similar species
Onigocia bimaculata (Knapp, Imamura & Sakashita, 2000) - Reported from New Caledonia.
Onigocia lacrimalis (Imamura & Knapp, 2009) - Reported from New Caledonia.
Onigocia pedimacula (Regan, 1908) - Reported from New Caledonia.
Rogadius welanderi (Schultz, 1966) - Reported from New Caledonia.
Last update: 17, March 2024