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Bighead beaked sandfish (Gonorynchus abbreviatus) — Gonorynchidae

Bighead beaked sandfish

Gonorynchus abbreviatus
Family: Gonorynchidae
NE · Not Evaluated

The Bighead beaked sandfish (Gonorynchus abbreviatus) is a saltwater fish of the family Gonorynchidae that grows up to 31 cm.

Length
31 cm
Water
Saltwater
Depth
50.0–100.0 m
Diet
Carnivore
Behaviour
Solitary
Activity
Nocturnal
Body shape
Elongated (eel-like)
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom
Danger
Harmless
Edibility
Rarely eaten

Description

The bighead beaked sandfish is a bottom fish from the northwest Pacific, ranging from southern Japan and Taiwan to the East China Sea. It grows to about 31 cm and has a strongly elongate, uniformly brown body with a pointed, beaked snout and an inferior mouth. As a bottom-dweller it stays on sand and mud bottoms of the sublittoral zone between about 50 and 100 metres depth and often burrows in. It feeds on small bottom organisms. The fish is harmless to humans and has not been evaluated by the IUCN (NE).

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Bighead beaked sandfish?

The Bighead beaked sandfish has an elongate, eel-like body, is mainly brown and shows a plain pattern.

Where does the Bighead beaked sandfish live?

The Bighead beaked sandfish lives in the sea (marine waters) and is mostly found around sand or mud bottom.

How big does the Bighead beaked sandfish get?

The Bighead beaked sandfish grows to a maximum of about 31 cm.

Is the Bighead beaked sandfish dangerous to humans?

No, the Bighead beaked sandfish is harmless to humans.

Is the Bighead beaked sandfish edible?

The Bighead beaked sandfish is rarely eaten.

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All data

Identification

Dutch name
Grootkop-zandvis verified
English name
Bighead beaked sandfish verified
Scientific name
Gonorynchus abbreviatus
Family
Gonorynchidae
Other names
Beaked salmon sourced

Appearance

Size class
Medium verified
Max length (cm)
31.0 verified
Body shape
Elongated (eel-like) sourced
Dominant colour
Brown inferred
Pattern
Plain sourced
Tail shape
Forked inferred
Mouth position
Inferior (downward) sourced
Lips
Thin sourced
Barbels
No sourced
Dorsal fins
One continuous sourced
Dorsal spines
No sourced

Habitat & distribution

Water type
Saltwater sourced
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom sourced
Min depth (m)
50.0 verified
Max depth (m)
100.0 verified
Origin
Native verified

Behaviour & biology

Diet
Carnivore sourced
Social behaviour
Solitary inferred
Territorial
No sourced
Activity
Nocturnal inferred
Reproduction
Separate sexes sourced
Sexual dimorphism
No sourced

For anglers

Edibility
Rarely eaten sourced
Fishing method
Bodemvissen met natuurlijk aas (worm, garnaal of vis) op of vlak boven de bodem. inferred
Regulations source
FishBase ↗ inferred

Safety

Danger to humans
Harmless sourced

Status & sources

Sources
FishBase via GBIF (DwC-A), CC-BY-NC 4.0

Same genus Gonorynchus

More from the family Gonorynchidae

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