Template:POTD/2024-11-05

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The tentacled flathead (Papilloculiceps longiceps) is a species of marine fish belonging to the flathead family, Platycephalidae. It is found in the western Indian Ocean, including the Red Sea, and also in the Mediterranean Sea, probably as a result of migration through the Suez Canal. The tentacled flathead is a well camouflaged, ambush predator of fish and crustaceans, living near coral reefs on sand or rubble substrates at depths of up to 15 m. The species has an elongate body, with a maximum published length of 70 cm, although 50 cm is more typical. It has a depressed head with 5 prominent nuchal spines, features ridges on its preoperculum and operculum, a spine on the rear of the suborbital ridge and smaller spines elsewhere. The eyes have notable papillae on their upper surfaces. The body is mottled brownish or greenish dorsally, whitish ventrally. There are 3 or 4 dark bands on the caudal fin and the other fins are marked with large, dark blotches. This tentacles flathead was photographed in the Red Sea at Ras Muhammad National Park, Egypt.Photograph credit: Diego Delso