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Onigocia spinosa
The flathead is also called Largescaled Spiny Flathead, Devil Flathead, and Midget Flathead.
Occurs in the West Pacific: in southern Japan, South China Sea, the Philippines, and in the northwest shelf of Australia, through Timor and the Arafura seas. Buried in the substrate during the day.
It had an arrow-shaped head that reminded me of triceratops dinosaurs. It burrowed partially into the sand when I approached it, leaving only the top of its head and dorsal fins exposed. On top of its head towards the back were a pair of "nostrils" that constantly opened and closed (see last photo). Spotted this fish at a depth of about 13m during a night dive at Dayang Beach, Talikud Island. It measured about 10cm long.
may not be midget flathead- spiny flathead more likely..
http://wetlens.smugmug.com/keyword/spiny...
Blogie, need to find a good reference to confirm this. Flatheads come under the family which includes scorpionfish
Thanks Leuba! Hmmm... might be a cross-breed between a scorpionfish and a flathead... :D
Looks like a very interesting Flathead to me, Blogie - but will check further..
Hi Ashish. I'm very familiar with S. oxycephala -- it's quite common here. But I don't think this one is the same species. The shape of the head alone differentiates it from the tasseled scorpionfish. Thanks for the help, though!
Thanks, DiveMUster, Hedgehog Girl and Maria dB!
I think there are species of scorpionfish (or related to them) that do burrow into the sand...
Cool photos! Never knew of a scorpionfish burrowing into the sand though. Interesting colouration.