Scientific Name
Platycephalus indicus  
Pronounce  
Platycephalus indicus印度牛尾魚
by: Lab of Fish Ecol. and Evo., BRCAS
Author (Linnaeus, 1758) Depth 1 - 200M
Chinese 印度牛尾魚 Poisonous Fish No 
Family_Chinese 牛尾魚科 Economic Fish Yes 
Family F313 Platycephalidae Edible Fish Yes  Chinese In Mainland China 鯒(印度鯒) 
Max Length 100 cm  Aquarium Fish No  Common Name 竹甲、狗祈仔、牛尾 
Distribution in World India Ocean to Pacific Ocean   Distribution in Taiwan East、West、South、South West、North、North East、PonFu、ShaoLiuChew 
Habitats Benthos、Estuary、Coastal、Lagoon、
Coral&Sand 
Holotype Locality Asia [Indo-West Pacific] 
Synonyms Callionymus indicus, Cottus insidiator, Cottus madagascariensis, Platycephalus insidiator   
Reference 1. 臺灣魚類誌(沈等, 1993);2. Myers, R.F., 1991. Micronesian reef fishes.. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p.;3. Knapp, L. W. 1999. Family Platycephalidae. In: Carpenter and Niem (ed). Species identification guide for fisheries purposes. The living marine resources of the western central Pacific. Bony fishes part 2 (Mugilidae to Carangidae). FAO, Rome. v. 4: iii-v; 2069-2790;4. Shao, K. T. and J. P. Chen, 1987. Fishes of the family Platycephalidae (Teleostei: Platycephaloidei) of Taiwan with descriptions of two new species. Bull. Inst. Zool. Acad. Sin. 26(1):77-94.  Masuda, H., K. Amaoka, C. Araga, T. Uyeno, etc. 1984 沈世傑 編 Shih-Chieh Shen ed. 1993 
Specimen List ASIZP0054644. ASIZP0054677. ASIZP0056071. ASIZP0061353. ASIZP0062352. ASIZP0064842. ASIZP0064913. ASIZP0065989. ASIZP0066378. ASIZP0070404. ASIZP0070500. ASIZP0075496. ASIZP0075954. ASIZP0076007. ASIZP0076205. ASIZP0076206. ASIZP0076249. ASIZP0076250. ASIZP0076315. ASIZP0076491. ASIZP0077845. ASIZP0079116. ASIZP0079406. ASIZP0079564. ASIZP0700279. ASIZP0800261. ASIZP0800320. ASIZP0800834. ASIZP0910261. ASIZP0910834. FRIP00857. FRIP00953. MTP0143. MTP0149. NMMBP02135. NMMBP02289. NMMBP04123. ...List all 60 records... 
Barcode2015-11-01,Yu-Ming Shih,CO1,100% 2015-11-01,Yu-Ming Shih,CO1,100%
Common Name Bartailed flathead; Bar-tailed flathead; Bartail flathead; Flathead; Indo-Pacific flathead; Indian flathead 
Redlist Status NL Not in IUCN Redlist     
Characteristic Dorsal fin with II-VII-I spines and 13 soft rays; anal fin 13 soft rays; pectoral fin 18-19; lateral line scales 62-69; gill rakers 2-3+6-9. Dorsal surface of head smooth or scarcely armed. Brownish or grayish above, whitish below; caudal fin 2-3 horizontal black stripes. Head strongly depressed. Preopercular spines 2, lower usually longest. Vomerine teeth in a single transverse band. Anteriormost lateral line scale usually with a small spine or ridge. Diagonal scale rows slanting backward above lateral line 83-107. Iris lappet a single elongated lobe. Identified by the distinctive color pattern on the caudal fin: centrally yellow and black stripes on upper and lower margins.
habitats Inhabit demersal marine environment. Found on sandy and muddy bottoms of coastal waters. Frequently in estuaries, juveniles have been taken in freshwater. Taken by handlining and seining in shallow waters and by trawling at depths to 30 m, usually less. A 
Distribution Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to the Philippines, Taiwan, north to southern Japan and Korea, south to northern Australia. Introduced into the eastern Mediterranean Sea. 
Utility Commercial food species, edible, palatable; also aquarium and gamefish species.