Bluefin gurnard

The red gurnard is a bottom-dwelling fish known for its bright red body and large, colorful pectoral fins with a large black eye-spot in the center and surrounded by a bright blue edge (Eichelsheim, 2010; Rainer & Reyes, 2019). Its natural color is a splotchy pale brown, generally only becoming red when stressed and the belly is paler or even white (Lang, 2000). It has a boxy, bony head which is protected by backwards-facing spines along the front of the snout and around the eye as well as on the hind margin of the operculum (Ayling & Cox, 1982) and tapers into a laterally elongated body with 33-35 vertebrae. There are 8-10 gill rakers and 70-80 scales on its lateral line, which is uninterrupted. Its two tall, triangular dorsal fins have a total of 15-16 soft rays and 9-10 spines. There is no adipose fin. The anal fin has 14-16 soft rays and no spines. The red gurnard's large, fan-like pectoral fins are one of two pairs with 13-14 soft rays and its pelvic fin has 5 soft rays and a single spine. The pectoral fins’ first three rays are modified and separated from the rest of the fin. They are used as sensory organs, sometimes referred to as “fingers” (Powell, 1947), permitting it to probe the sea bottom to detect prey buried in the sand or the mud (Ayling & Cox, 1982; Francis 2012). These spectacular fins make the red gurnard look like a butterfly of the sea, however their role is not entirely known. They could be used to attract a mate or frighten off predators (Ayling & Cox, 1982). These fan-like fins can also be used to give stability during swimming (Francis, 2012).