Piper gurnard facts for kids
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The piper gurnard (Trigla lyra) is a special type of fish found in the ocean. It is also called the piper or the lyre gurnard. This fish belongs to a group called gurnards and sea robins. You can find it in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is the only species in its group, called Trigla.
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How Scientists Name It
The piper gurnard got its official name in 1758. A famous scientist named Carl Linnaeus first described it. He named it Trigla lyra.
The name Trigla was an old name for a different fish, the red mullet. An earlier scientist thought gurnards and red mullets were the same. This was because both fish can make sounds when out of water. They also both have a red color. Linnaeus realized they were different fish. He then used Trigla for the gurnard.
The second part of its name, lyra, means "lyre." A lyre is a musical instrument like a small harp. Linnaeus did not say why he chose this name. It might be because the fish's head has many bumps and spines. These might look like a lyre when you see them from above.
What It Looks Like
The piper gurnard has a big head. This head has many spines and ridges. Its first top fin has 8 to 10 strong spines. The front edge of the first spine is smooth.
Both its second top fin and its bottom fin have 15 or 16 soft rays. The fish's chest has no scales. Its belly is only partly covered with scales. The scales along its side are small and shaped like tubes. Its tail fin is slightly curved inward.
The fins on its belly are well-developed. They have one spine and 5 soft rays. Its side fins are even bigger. They can reach almost to the second top fin. The bottom three rays of these side fins are separate. They are thick and look like fingers. This is a common feature for gurnard fish.
The upper part of the piper gurnard's body is red. Its lower body is pale. The membranes of its bottom fin and side fins are dark. They have small blue spots. This fish can grow up to 60 centimeters (about 2 feet) long. However, it is usually about 30 centimeters (about 1 foot) long.
Where It Lives
The piper gurnard lives in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. You can find it from Scotland all the way south to Namibia. It also lives around the Macaronesian Islands. It is common in the Mediterranean Sea. However, it does not live in the Black Sea.
This fish lives deep in the water. It is a demersal fish, meaning it stays near the seafloor. It can be found at depths of up to 700 meters (about 2,300 feet). It likes to live on sandy and muddy parts of the ocean floor.
Diet and Life Cycle
The piper gurnard mostly eats crustaceans. These include small shrimp, crabs, and hermit crabs. It also eats other sea creatures. These can be brittle stars (a type of echinoderm), worms, and small fish that live on the seafloor.
Piper gurnards become ready to reproduce when they are about 30 centimeters long. They lay their eggs during the summer months. These eggs float in the water. When the baby fish hatch, they already have bony plates and some spines. These fish can live for up to 7 years.
Fishing for Piper Gurnard
People do not usually try to catch the piper gurnard in the eastern central Atlantic. It is not exported from there. But local people do catch and eat it.
In the Mediterranean Sea, this fish is caught for sale. You can often find it in markets in Morocco, Greece, and Turkey. Sometimes it is sold in other places too. The fish is sold fresh or kept cool.
See also
- List of prehistoric bony fish
