Insular Armored Sea Robin (Peristedion nesium)
- Max. Length
- 18 centimeters
- Length at 1st Maturity
- 8.1 centimeters
- Depth Range
- 110 – 180 meters (360 – 600 feet)
- Frequency
- Under Evaluation
This is one of the few fish species in Cocos Island that you can easily identify through its flat body that is completely covered with heavy armor composed of bony plates and spines. Their snout is long and depressed and is equipped with a pair of rostral spines that is projected forward. Aside from this, their head is colored red while the rest of the body is white patterned with 4 to 6 red colored bars.
Encounter using a Submersible
Sad to say, our traditional recreational scuba diving skills does not allow us to observe a sea robin. Considered as a deep-sea species, sea robins are found in deep-water environments with depths ranging from 110 – 180 meters (360 – 600 feet).
If you happen to sign up on liveaboard cruise that has an onboard submersible vessel, one of the species that you can encounter during a deep-sea cruise are sea robins. Once your submersible reaches a zone which they call the abyss, you can now focus your attention to the ocean floor where sea robins are often found on the sand.
Its Recent Discovery
Not until early 2010 when a specimen of this strange looking creature was caught from an otter trawl. It was only after the study of W. A. Bussing (a biologist from Universidad de Costa Rica) which confirmed that this strange looking creature is actually a new species of fish.
Since studies are on its way to gather more information about its life history, the question now lies if an Insular Armored Sea Robin is endemic to Cocos Island or not. If so, then it will the newest member of Cocos Islands’ 300 plus species of fish and the latest endemic species that can only be found in this offshore Costa Rican Island.
Reference
Fishbase: www.fishbase.org
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: biogeodb.stri.si.edu
World Register of Marine Species: www.marinespecies.org
