Forster's Sandfish

📖 Overview

Inhabits coastal sandy habitats , bays and estuaries where they remain buried during the day. Also found in deeper water 160-678 m. Juvenile, subadult and adult occur in shallow coastal areas; adults also inhabit deep shelf and slope areas and isolated offshore plateaus, and are capable of moving between the two . With the first New Caledonian record based on one ripe female and one spent male, captured at 960-1233 m depth, over 700 nautical miles from the nearest known populations, it is hypothesized that adult sandfish migrates along oceanic ridges to spawn in southern New Caledonian waters .

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal soft rays (total): 10 - 11; Anal soft rays: 7 - 8; Vertebrae: 64 - 66. Pigmented brown dorsally and orange-pink ventrally; fins have dark gray patches contrasting with pale gray patches at the margins. Lower lip of mouth with elongated forked papillae. Lateral line pore tubes positioned between every 2 scales instead of the common pattern of 2:1:2 . Caudal vertebrae (= pleural caudal vertebrae + ural caudal vertebrae) 12 + 1. Lateral line scale pattern of 2:2:2 (that is, 2 scales: pore, 2 scales: pore, etc.): elongated.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Forster's Sandfish is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

🥚 Reproduction

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; demersal; oceanodromous ; depth range 104 - 1233 m . Subtropical; 11°S - 58°S Southwest Pacific.

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🌐 Names & Taxonomy

Scientific Synonyms

🐠 Related Species

🗺️ Global Occurrence Map

Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 5 records indexed .

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