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Species: Zalieutes mcgintyi, Tricorn Batfish

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

snout: 3 cones
no subopercular spine
pectoral separate from tail
underside - 2 rows cones + dense prickles

Zalieutes mcgintyi (Fowler, 1952)

Tricorn Batfish

Head depressed, not elevated above disc; disc triangular; mouth small; short fishing pole in small cavity overhung by a cone-like rostrum with an equal-sized cone flaring out on each side (juveniles with a short horn), lure triangular, without lobes, usually 1-2 bumps on either side; gill rakers are long thin plates covered with teeth; no large spine at lower rear corner of operculum; gill openings small, behind upper base of pectoral fin; pectoral arm-like, not joined by membrane to body or tail base; dorsal and anal fins small, at rear of body; tail long; body covered with small and large tubercles, underside of tail covered with prickles and two rows of cones.

Brown on dorsal surface of head and body; whitish on ventral surface, large fish with a dark bar across body that extends through anal fin base; a diffuse dark area sometimes at base of dorsal fin.

Size: grows to 10 cm.

Inhabits sand and mud bottoms.

Depth: 90-660 m.

S Carolina to E Venezuela.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Sand & gravel
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Soft bottom only
  • Mud
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Bony fishes
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Mobile benthic worms
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Extends N + S of GC
  • Extends North of GC
  • Extends South of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • Island (s)
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Temperate (>35N)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 10
Depth Range Min
  • 90
Depth Range Max
  • 660