Dactylopteridae
| Flying gurnards | |
|---|---|
| |
Dactylopterus volitans
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Syngnathiformes |
| Suborder: | Aulostomoidei |
| Superfamily: | Centriscoidea |
| Family: | Dactylopteridae Gill, 1861[1] |
| Genera | |
| |
The flying gurnards are a
pectoral fins. As they cannot literally fly or glide in the air (like flying fish), an alternative name preferred by some authors is helmet gurnards.[2] They have been regarded as the only family in the suborder Dactylopteroidei of the Scorpaeniformes but more recent molecular classifications put them in the order Syngnathiformes, in the superfamily Centriscoidea.[3]
They have been observed to "walk" along sandy sea floors while looking for
sea robins), to which they may be related, they possess a swim bladder with two lobes and a "drumming muscle" that can beat against the swim bladder to produce sounds. They have heavy, protective scales and the undersides of their huge pectoral fins are brightly coloured, perhaps to startle predators.[2]
Most species are in the
Dactylopterus is from warmer parts of the Atlantic. The adults live on the sea bottom, but many species have an extended larval stage, which floats freely in the oceans.[2]
Taxonomy
Morphological traits uniting the flying gurnards (Dactylopteridae) and the
Fistulariidae (cornetfish), and would have to be included with these.[4]
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D. orientalis -
D. orientalis -
D. orientalis -
Dactylopterus volitans
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See also
References
- ^ Bailly N, ed. (2017). "Dactylopteridae Gill, 1861". FishBase. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
- ^ ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
- ^ Nelson, JS; Grande, TC & Wilson, MVH (2016). "Classification of fishes from Fishes of the World 5th Edition" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 March 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
- PMID 17709262.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dactylopteridae.