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Perciformes/Uranoscopoidei (Sand dwellers) >
Uranoscopidae (Stargazers)
Etymology: Uranoscopus: Greek, ouranos = sky + Greek skopein = to watch (Ref. 45335).
Eponymy: Dr Max Fernand Leon Poll (1908–1991) was a Belgian ichthyologist, and ‘connoisseur of the fish fauna’. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; depth range 20 - 200 m (Ref. 7366), usually 20 - 50 m (Ref. 7366). Tropical
Eastern Atlantic: mainly Congo and Angola, but probably further north.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 35.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2683)
Burrows in sand and mud (Ref. 2683). While buried, it waits for its prey, attracting them by means of its appendage. Feeds mainly on fish (Ref. 5377).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Roux, C., 1990. Uranoscopidae. p. 897-898. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2. (Ref. 7366)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial
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