Species: Peristedion brevirostre, Flathead Armored Searobin
rostral plates short, broad
large nasal spine

Peristedion brevirostre (Gunther, 1860)
Flathead Armored Searobin
Head and body flattened below, body completely covered in a heavy armor of 4 rows of bony spiny scales; body low and moderately broad; head wide, flat, bony rim around its side edge wide, ending in a large spine; large spine at nostril, no spine at base of snout plates; snout long and very broad, rostral plates very short (length usually < eye), broad based; barbels: 1 very long lower lip barbel; 32-42 chin barbels in 7 clusters; preopercular spine long; opercular spine very long; dorsal fin divided into separate spiny and soft parts, VIII + 17, both parts high; anal fin without spines, 17; pectoral fin 12 + 2 free rays, fin is long; pelvic fins wide apart, below base of pectorals, I,5 rays; front edge of first spiny plate under belly at or before bony pelvic girdle.
Head and body reddish.
Reaches 28 cm.
Found on sand/mud and hard bottoms.
Depth range: 55-550 m.
The Gulf of Mexico and eastern Florida to the S Caribbean.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Mud
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef and soft bottom
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Bathydemersal
- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Mobile benthic worms
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent
- Continent + Island (s)
- GC endemic
- Island (s)
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 28
- Depth Range Min
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- 55
- Depth Range Max
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- 550