No photo available
Oriental flying gurnard
Dactyloptena orientalis
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Oriental flying gurnard
- Scientific
- Dactyloptena orientalis
- Dhivehi
- No recorded Dhivehi name
- Group
- Reef fish
- Maximum size
- Up to about 40 cm (total length); commonly 20 cm; max. published weight 3830 g
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 1 to 100 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2015
Description
An armoured bottom-dwelling fish with a box-like head and huge, wing-like pectoral fins patterned with blue spots, which it spreads when disturbed. It walks over sand on its pelvic fins, feeding on crustaceans, clams and small fish, and reaches about 40 cm.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Dactyloptena-orientalis.html
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Dactyloptena_orientalis.JPG
Dhivehi name source: No Dhivehi name found in MRS 1997 (available chapters), FishBase (country: Maldives) or Dhivehi Wikipedia.