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Red Gurnard
Chelidonichthys kumu (Cuvier, 1829)
A Red Gurnard at a depth of 2 m in tidal waters at the mouth of the Minnamurra River, New South Wales, January 2007. Photo © S. Schulz. View larger image.
A Red Gurnard caught on hook and line off Sydney Heads, New South Wales, March 2002. Photo: J. Pogonoski © Australian Museum. View larger image. View another image of this fish.
A Red Gurnard caught on hook and line by R. Hungerford, at a depth of 50 m, 2 km east of Lurline Bay, Sydney, New South Wales, November 2006. Photo © I. Graham. View larger image.
The Red Gurnard has a bony head and a blunt snout that lacks spines. The body is covered with tiny cycloid scales. A row of enlarged scales forming thorn-like bucklers is present along the bases of both dorsal fins.
This species is red-brown to grey-brown above and pale below. The body has scattered red-brown blotches. The pectoral fins are greenish-grey with light blue spots. The margin is pale blue and there is a black blotch with white dots near the base.
The Red Gurnard grows to 50 cm in length.
It is recorded from shallow sandy beaches and estuaries (as juveniles) down to a depth of around 200 m. It is most often encountered in trawler catches but is sometimes caught on hook and line.
The species is known from temperate marine waters of the Indo-West Pacific.
In Australia it occurs from southern Queensland, around the south of the country and north to the central coast of Western Australia.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Related links
- Latchet fact sheet
- Spiny Gurnard fact sheet
Further reading
- Gomon, M.F. in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
