Marbled stargazer (Uranoscopus bicinctus)

Image source: Jo's Animal Database
General data
- Main name: Marbled stargazer
- Climates: Tropical
- Habitat: Saltwater
- Native: Asia, Australia & Oceania
- Distribution: Pacific Ocean, Indian ocean
Classification
- Genus: Uranoscopus - Uranoscopus
- Family: Uranoscopidae - Stargazers
- Order: Trachiniformes - Weeverfishes
- Class: Teleostei - Ray-finned fishes
- Superclass: Osteichthyes - Bony fishes
Description
Indo-West Pacific: India east to Indochina, then north to Japan and China to the Philippines, Indonesia and Australia. Max length : 29.5 cm TL; max. published weight: 453 g Dorsal spines (total): 4 - 5; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13-14; Anal spines: 13. Indonesian form has pale body with dark blotches. Body dark brown with 3 distinct broad black bands. Respiratory valve inside lower jaw with a thick orange tentacle. Found above 100 m on sandy gravel bottom. Lives on muddy substrates and rarely observed. Hides in sandy bottoms and sucks up animals with sand and debris into the mouth.