What type of flathead?
Submitted by Swamp on Wed, 2012-07-25 12:27
Looking through some old photos. I found this pic of one of the meanest looking things I've ever caught. Hooked near the Burrup Peninsula in about 5 metres of water a couple of years ago.
The rows of nasty spikes on the head, long pelvic fins and elongated head compare to other flathead I've seen makes me think Fringelip Flathead - Sunagocia otaitensis but the max size has me unsure. Fishwreckapedia says max size is 30 cm. The lure in the pic is a 7inch gulp so this fish is 50cm+
Crap photo because I wasn't bring this thing onto my lap in the kayak
Cheers,
Swamp
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Cheers,
Swamp
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Crocodile fish? We got
Crocodile fish? We got something similar up at Exmouth, in the gulf.
Leemo
Posts: 3712
Date Joined: 22/02/07
i believe you will find it is
i believe you will find it is actually called the 'De Beaufort's Flathead'.
bludgin' since 94'
jeremy-j
Posts: 336
Date Joined: 31/08/09
I agree Corcodile fish/ De
I agree Corcodile fish/ De beaufort.
Does anyone know if they are poisonous?
Being relatives of the Stonefish im guessing so, just cant find an info on it.
carnarvonite
Posts: 8627
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Fringe eye
Closest one to it is a fringe eye flathead, though my book only shows a lateral view but still looks like the one.
Glenn Moore
Posts: 228
Date Joined: 13/02/12
agree
It's hard to be completely sure (flathead can be tough to ID), but I agree with Carnarvonite - probably Fringe-eye Flathead Cymbacephalus nematophthalmus. It is a very close relative of the Crocodilefish or de Beaufort's, but we don't get true Crocodilefish in WA.
Glenn Moore
Curator of Fishes
Western Australian Museum
twitter @WestOzFish
snapper_seeker
Posts: 172
Date Joined: 24/04/12
Flathead
Hey mate, last year i was freediving with my gidgee on my favourite little patch of reef behind garden island when i saw a flatty just like that assuming that it was just a normal flatty i speared it, it was about 45cm long and was exactly like that anyway it got beer battered and fried up along with the whiting we'd caught earlier and it went down a treat.
my bet is on fringe eye, do a search on google it looks very similer.