Eastern spiny gunard - Lepidotrigla pleuracanthica

Description:

These fish are well camouflaged in the red-diminished light at depth. They come to life though when you light them up with a strobe.Most gunards live in deep water but you occasionally find them in estuaries like this one in Sydney Harbour. They have interesting pectoral fins; the front few rays of each fin have been adapted for walking, a bit like lobster legs, whilst the back rays form a colourful flat structure like the blue-edged fins in this eastern spiny gunard.