Bight stinkfish
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 Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling
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| Foetorepus phasis (Günther, 1880) |
The bight stinkfish, Foetorepus phasis, is a dragonet of the family Callionymidae, found in the eastern Indian and southwest pacific Oceans, at depths of between 160 and 200 m. Length is up to 13 cm.
The bight stinkfish has a large flattened head and round tapering body, and all the fins are very well developed. Bulbous eyes dominate the head, positioned above the small weak mouth with its overhanging upper lip. The gill opening is reduced to a small pore on each side of the top of the operculum and there is a strong three pronged spine on each operculum.
Bight stinkfish are a uniform pink in colour with orange spots and bars on the back, yellow-brown markings on the second dorsal and pectoral fins, and a bright green patch on the lower portion of the high first dorsal fin.
They are bottom-living fishes found on sand and mud and give off a very strong smell when captured.
[edit] References
- "Foetorepus phasis". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. May 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
- Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8
