View source for De Beaufort's flathead

{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Cymbacephalus beauforti Crocodilefish Papua New Guinea by Nick Hobgood.jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name = iucn>{{cite iucn |author=Motomura, H. |author2=Matsuura, K. |name-list-style=& |year=2016 |title=Cymbacephalus beauforti |page=e.T69787135A69800837 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T69787135A69800837.en |access-date=7 July 2022}}</ref>
| taxon = Cymbacephalus beauforti
| authority = ([[Leslie William Knapp|L. W. Knapp]], 1973)
| synonyms = * ''Platycephalus beauforti'' <small>Knapp, 1973</small>
| synonyms_ref = <ref name = Fishbase>{{FishBase|Cymbacephalus|beauforti|month=February|year=2022}}</ref>
}}
'''De Beaufort's flathead''' ('''''Cymbacephalus beauforti'''''), also known as the '''crocodilefish''' or '''giant flathead''', is a species of marine [[ray-finned fish]] belonging to the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Platycephalidae]], the flatheads. It is found in the [[Western Pacific Ocean]].
==Taxonomy==
De Beaufort's flathead was first formally [[Species description|described]] in 1973 as ''Platycephalus beauforti'' with its [[Type locality (biology)|type locality]] given as off [[Ngeruktabel|Urukthapel Island]] in the [[Palau Islands]].<ref name = CofF>{{Cof genus|genus=Platycephalus|access-date=6 July 2022}}</ref> The [[Specific name (zoology)|Specific name]] honours the Dutch [[ichthyologist]] [[Lieven Ferdinand de Beaufort]] of the [[University of Amsterdam]], who made many notable contributions to ichthyology and who at the age of 88 wrote to Knapp encouraging him to revise the family Platycephalidae.<ref name = ETYFish>{{cite web | url = https://etyfish.org/perciformes11/ | title = Order Perciformes (Part 11): Suborder Platycephaloidei: Families Bembridae, Parabembridae, Hoplichthyidae, Platycephalidae and Plectrogeniidae | work = The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database | editor1= Christopher Scharpf | editor2 = Kenneth J. Lazara | name-list-style = amp |date = 7 December 2021 | access-date = 7 July 2022 | publisher = Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara}}</ref>
== Description ==
De Beaufort's flathead is a medium-sized [[fish]] which grows up to 50&nbsp;cm (19.7&nbsp;in), but the average size mostly observed is 35&nbsp;cm (13.8&nbsp;in).<ref name= Fishbase/>
The body is elongated and the head is particular because of its flat appearance like a duck bill.
They have lappets at the rear of their globulous eyes, which help to break up the outline of the black iris and improve their camouflage.
Juveniles begin black with few white spots and a white line behind the head.
The adults have a body coloration which can vary in intensity according to the surrounding. The body is covered with a pattern like a mosaic of beige to brown spots or even greenish to grey separated by an interlacing of blue lines which ideally camouflages them with their habitat.<ref name = eol>{{cite web|url=http://eol.org/pages/217401/details#diagnostic_description |title=Descriptions and articles about the Crocodile Fish (Cymbacephalus beauforti) - Encyclopedia of Life |publisher=Eol.org |date=2009-07-24 |accessdate=2015-09-26}}</ref>
==Distribution and habitat==
De Beaufort's flathead has a wide distribution extending from the [[Mentawai Islands]] in the far east of the Indian Ocean off [[Sumatra]] and including the Philippines, [[Borneo]], [[Maluku Islands]], Papua New Guinea, [[New Caledonia]], Palau and from [[Yap Island]] to [[Ishigaki Island]].<ref name = Fishbase/>
De Beaufort's flathead is found shallow water in areas of sand or coral rubble, near seagrasses or mangroves. They are typically found at depths of {{cvt|2|or|3|m}},<ref name = FAO>{{cite book | editor1 =Carpenter, K.E. | editor2 = Niem, V.H. | title = FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 4. Bony fishes part 2 (Mugilidae to Carangidae) | publisher = FAO, Rome | year = 1999 | chapter = Platycephalidae Flatheads | author = L.W. Knapp | pages = 2385–2421 | isbn = 9251043019}}</ref> but have been recorded as deep as {{cvt|12|m}}.<ref name = Fishbase/>
<gallery>
File:Cymbacephalus beauforti 1.jpg
File:Cymbacephalus beauforti 2.jpg
File:Cymbacephalus beauforti.jpg
File:28-EastTimor-Dive Sandy-Bottom 13 (Crocodile Fish)-APiazza.JPG
File:46-EastTimor-Dive2 SecretGarden 06 (Crocodile Fish)-APiazza.JPG
</gallery>
==Biology==
De Beaufort's flatheads are [[Demersal fish|demersal]] [[ambush predator]]s which feed mainly on smaller fish and crustaceans. The breeding biology of this species is little known but it is thought that the minimum population doubles at intervals between 4.5 and 14 years.<ref name = marinebio>{{cite web | url = https://www.marinebio.org/species/crocodile-fishes/cymbacephalus-beauforti/ | title = Crocodile Fishes, ''Cymbacephalus beauforti'' | access-date = 7 July 2022 | publisher = The MarineBio Conservation Society}}</ref>
== Eye lappet ==
[[Image:082810 Crocodilefish.jpg|centre|thumb|300px| Close shot of head and eye lappet of Crocodilefish.]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.marinebio.org/species.asp?id=466 MarineBio.org entry for Cymbacephalus beauforti (crocodilefish)]
* [http://www.amonline.net.au/FISHES/fishfacts/fish/cbeauforti.htm Crocodilefish entry at Australian museum fish site]
* [http://www.starfish.ch/collection/benthicfishes.html#Platycephalidae Photos of several species of Crocodilefishes]
* [http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=280462 Marinespecies.org]
* {{sealifephotos|280462}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q901557}}
[[Category:Platycephalidae]]
[[Category:Fish described in 1973]]