Kingdom Animalia Order Perciformes Family Trachinidae Scientific name Trachinus araneus Rank Species | Phylum Chordata Suborder Trachinoidei Genus Trachinus Higher classification Trachinus | |
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Similar Trachinus, Weever, Starry weever, Lesser weever, Greater weever | ||
Spotted weever fish displaying aggression
The spotted weever, Trachinus araneus, is a fish of the family Trachinidae, Perciformes order, and Actinopterygii class.
It is up to 45 cm long, brown and yellow on the head and back, paler below with darker spots along the sides. The shape of its body is long and laterally flattened, the mouth almost is vertical in the head. The front half of the first dorsal fin is black and consists of three spines which are highly poisonous, as are the backward facing spines on the extremities of the gill covers..
The spotted weever lives close to the bottom down to about 100 m. It prefers a subtropical climate; the coordinates are 45°N - 18°S, 19°W -36°E.
The spotted weever can be found from Portugal to Angola and the Mediterranean. It is of minor commercial importance. It inhabits the shallow waters to about 100m depth near rocks and sea grass nearby, burrowing in the bottom. Just as other weevers, it feeds on small fishes and crustaceans.