Common Name
Longnose Armored Searobin
Year Described
Teague, 1961
Identification
Dorsal Fin: VII-VIII, 16-17
Anal Fin: 15-18
Pectoral Fin: 12 + 2 free rays
Gill Rakers: 25-29
Body elongate and flattened ventrally, with four rows of thick, heavy scales forming an armor-like covering. Body and head moderately narrow in width. Head with flattened duck-bill snout about the width of eyes and squared-off at tip. Rostral projections very long (>snout length), thin, and slightly divergent. Head heavily armored. Edges of snout and head smooth. Edge of head expanded laterally on the cheek into a large triangular opercular spine. Eye relatively large. Interorbital distance relatively narrow. Anterior edge of first body plate posterior to pelvic girdle. Lip barbel present. Chin barbel absent or present (18-22% SL). Dorsal fins separated: the first small and second long-based. Anal fin about the same length as dorsal fin. Pectoral fins small and fan-like with two long free rays that are used to interact/crawl along the seafloor. Pelvic fins small and widely separated under pectoral base. Caudal fin truncate.
Color
Body and head pale pink to whitish with random red blotches and reticulations following scale edges and rims of armor. Belly whitish. First dorsal fin with dark red to blackish band across the posterior half. Second dorsal and anal fins with a broad dark red to blackish margin. Pectoral fin red to blackish with faint blotching. Caudal fin red and whitish. Pelvic fin white. Eye whitish banded with red.
Size
Maximum size to 20cm SL.
Habitat
Found on soft bottoms from 330-650m.
Range
S. Florida and the N. Gulf of Mexico to the Lesser Antilles and Panama.
References
Miller, G.C. & W.J. Richards. 2003. Peristediidae. Armoured searobins (armoured gurnards). p. 1278-1285. In: K.E. Carpenter (ed.) FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 2: Bony fishes part 1 (Acipenseridae to Grammatidae).
Teague, G.W. 1961. The armored sea-robins of America, a revision of the American species of the family Peristediidae. Anales del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Montevideo (Serie 2) v. 7 (no. 2): 1-27, 2 pls. + Pls. 1-3.
Other Notes
Intermediate in body/head width between the narrow gracile/imberbe complex and other W. Atlantic species of the genus which have relatively wide heads.