Animalia Life
Inimicus didactylus
FAMILY
Synanceiidae
TAXONOMY
Inimicus didactylus Pallas, 1769, Indian Ocean.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Demon stinger, popeyed sea goblin, spiny devilfish;
Japanese: Hime-oniokoze.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Grows to 7.9 in (20 cm) maximum length. The bearded ghoul
is best recognized by the shape of its head and its elongate
pectoral fins, which it uses for crawling along the bottom. This
species can be distinguished by the pattern on the medial surface
of its pectoral fin, which has a broad, dark, transverse bar
that may be streaked.
DISTRIBUTION
Distributed from southern Japan and Indonesia to Australia,
the Solomon Islands, and New Caledonia.
HABITAT
A benthic species found on open sandy or silty bottoms, particularly
in estuaries, lagoons, and seaward reefs.
BEHAVIOR
A particularly venomous species that is capable of killing a human.
Like most stonefishes, this species is a lie-and-wait predator
that relies on its cryptic coloration and body form to
surprise prey.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Feeds primarily on crustaceans, but small fishes also are preyed
upon.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Little is known about the
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
of this species.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not listed by the IUCN.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Because of its small size, this species is not fished commercially;
however, despite the fact that these fishes are highly
venomous, they are collected occasionally for the aquarium
trade, where they are sold as “popeyed sea goblins.”
Photo Gallery of - Bearded ghoul
