This is Dactylopteridae scorpaeniformes or Oriental flying gurnard
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This bottom sand dwelling fish is called an Oriental Flying Gurnard.
Sometimes they are referred to as a Helmet Gurnard. The French word “gurnard” means to grunt. This is the sound it produces by using its swim bladder and drum muscles. Some scientists believe the noises are used to communicate with one another. In Hawaii, we call them pinao, which means dragonfly. They are in the family Dactylopteridae and in the order of Scorpaeniformes. This makes them a distant cousin to Scorpionfish. However, the Gurnard’s bear no venemous spines.
Even though their name suggests they fly, they in fact do not! These “wings” you see are actually their pectoral/side fins. When they feel threatened, the fish will spread these fins to increase their size and confuse the predator. They crawl along the sandy bottom by using modified spines located along their pelvic fins. While it crawls, the Gurnard will scratch the sand in hopes to find some small critters to eat.
The Gurnard can grow up to 16 inches. It has a dorsal fin with 7 spines and 9 soft rays, an anal fin with no spines and 6-7 soft rays, and the pectoral fins have rays with each ray having a feeler like extension on the tip. This fish is not commonly seen, but when you do get a chance to see one, they are truly unique and amazing to observe.
The image above was taken during a Private Ocean Project Maui Snorkel Tour.
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