Southern Sand Flathead

About

A sandy to pale brownish flathead peppered with small pale to dark spots, 2-3 indistinct bands along the back towards the rear of the body, and a whitish belly. The lower half of tail has a large dark irregular blotch, often broken up by the pale fin rays, and the upper half is covered in large brown spots or blotches. The head has two large strong spines at the corner of the gill cover, and the lower is much longer than the upper spine.

The most common flathead species caught in southern australian coastal waters.

To ID look at the tail with the lower half with a dark blotch or blotches

Size

Can grow to around 55cm or around 1.3kg

Habitat

Sandy, muddy or shelly bottoms in shallow coastal bays to depths of about 100 m

Distribution

Southern Australia from SA to NSW including Tasmania

Gallery

Select any photo or video to view it large with its details and credits.

📷 Sascha Schulz 📷 Bruce Deagle 📷 timkarnasuta 📷 Lek Khauv 📷 Lek Khauv 📷 warrencameron

Local Sightings

1 recorded sighting in and around the area.

References & citations (2)

1. Australian National Fish Collection & Bray, D.J. 2020, Platycephalus bassensis in Fishes of Australia (accessed 2021-09-22 14:03:33)
2. The Atlas of Living Australia (accessed 2021-09-22 14:03:33)