Saltwater Fishing Information for the Texas Gulf Coast, Inshore and Offshore
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CURRENT MOON
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Southern Stargazer - Astroscopus y-graecum Family Uranoscopidae,
Habitat:The southern stargazer lives most of its life inshore, on or under sandy, silty, and rubble bottoms at depths to 230 feet.
Distribution: The southern stargazer occurs in the western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina and the northern Gulf of Mexico, south to the northern coast of South America. It is absent in the West Indies.
Features: This fish has many adaptions to life under the sand. Its pectoral fins act as shovels, allowing the fish to bury in a matter of seconds. The body is designed so that the eyes, nostrils, and most of the mouth are above the sand when the fish is under the sand. Scales are absent on head, but are present on body, extending onto fleshy area of caudal fin. The eyes are capable of protruding for a short distance, appearing stalked, so that the stargazer can see above the sand. It brings in water through its nostrils to breathe. Most fish species bring in water through their mouths. The nostrils are protected from sand grains by fleshy, comb-shaped fringes. The mouth also has these fringes around it to keep sand out while the fish is buried. The gill slit is narrow and drawn backwards and upwards into a baggy tube. This tube carries waste water away from the fish and outside the surrounding sand. This fish possesses a special talent: it is able to create electrical currents from a specialized organ located in a pouch behind the eyes. The rate of electric discharge depends upon the temperature, with a maximum of 50 volts. It is used primarily to fend off aggressive, threatening fish rather than for prey capture.
Coloration: The southern stargazer has a blackish-brown body covered with white spots that gradually increase in size towards the rear of the body. White spots are widely spaced on the top of head and body. There are three dark, horizontal stripes on the tail. The northern stargazer closely resembles the southern stargazer in appearance. An easy way to tell these two species apart is to note the middle stripe on the tail. On the northern stargazer this stripe extends onto the rear portion of the body; on the southern stargazer this stripe does not extend pass the tail.
Size: Adults may reach 22 inches in length, but are more common at lengths of 8-18 inches.
Feeding Habits: As a predatory species, the southern stargazer feeds on smaller fish that are unlucky enough to swim near it. Prey capture does not involve the electrical organ. Its main function is to protect the stargazer from anything that may threaten the fish. The stargazer instead relies on its camouflage and lies in wait for a small fish to swim near it. Once the prey is in range, the stargazer immediately rises from the sand and in an instant swallows the small fish whole.
Notes: Because of the stargazer's ability to produce electrical currents, live specimens of this species should be handled with care. If approached by a diver, it generally will not move unless disturbed.
