Flying gurnards
Dactylopterus volitans
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Scorpaeniformes Suborder: Dactylopteroidei Family: Dactylopteridae
Genera
See text for genera and species.

The flying gurnards are a family, Dactylopteridae, of marine fish notable for their greatly enlarged pectoral fins.They have also been observed to "walk" along sandy sea floors while looking for crustaceans and other small invertebrates by using their pelvic fins. They are the only family in the suborder Dactylopteroidei.

The family is small, with seven species in two genera.

Genera and species

Genus Dactyloptena

• Dactyloptena gilberti, Snyder, 1909
• Spotwing flying gurnard, Dactyloptena macracantha (Bleeker, 1854)
• Oriental flying gurnard, Dactyloptena orientalis (Cuvier, 1829)
• Butterfly flying gurnard, Dactyloptena papilio Ogilby, 1910
• Starry flying gurnard, Dactyloptena peterseni (Nyström, 1887)
• Dactyloptena tiltoni, Eschmeyer, 1997

Genus Dactylopterus

• Flying gurnard, Dactylopterus volitans (Linnaeus, 1758)

Dactyloptena orientalis	Dactyloptena orientalis	Dactyloptena orientalis	Dactyloptena orientalis
Dactylopterus volitans

Weblinks

• Photos of the Oriental Flying Gurnard (Oriental Searobin, Helmet Gurnard)

References

• FishBase entry for Dactylopteridae

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Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Dactylopteridae". Image Credit.

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