Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Order
- Perciformes
- Family
- Psettodidae
- Genus
- Psettodes
- Species
- belcheri
Habitat
This species inhabits shallow coastal waters and continental shelves in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, from Mauritania to Angola, over sandy or muddy bottoms. It prefers depths of 10 to 100 meters and is often found near estuaries and river mouths where the substrate supports its benthic lifestyle.
Diet
The spottail spiny turbot primarily feeds on small fish, crustaceans, and polychaetes. It employs an ambush strategy, lying in wait on the ocean floor and striking quickly at prey, with feeding most active during nighttime hours.
Behavior
It is a solitary, nocturnal predator that buries itself in sand during the day for camouflage and emerges at night to hunt. The species exhibits territorial behavior around feeding grounds and uses its flattened body to blend into the substrate, making it elusive to observers. It is generally sedentary but can migrate short distances for spawning.
Conservation Status
Listed as Data Deficient by IUCN.