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Greater weever
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Greater weever
The greater weever (Trachinus draco) is a species of marine ray-finned fish in the family Trachinidae. It is a benthic fish widely distributed along the eastern Atlantic coastline (from Norway to Morocco), extending to the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Seas. The greater weever is mostly and notoriously known for its venomous spines, which can inflict serious injuries on humans through accidental stinging. Because of this, the greater weever is classified as one of the most venomous fishes in the Mediterranean.
The term "weever" is thought to originate from the Anglo-Saxon word "wivre", which translates to "viper".
The greater weever is an elongated and laterally flattened fish with a distinct superior mouth that is inclined upwards. The lower jaw is longer than the upper jaw. The head is compact flat and relatively big and the eyes sit almost on top of it. The upper rim of the eye has two to three small spines, in front of each eye. The five to seven spiny fin rays on its first dorsal fin and the thorns on each of the gill covers have venom glands at their basis.
The greater weever is greenish brown with a varying count of dark marks on the upper side of the head. The flank is hued in a yellowish brown with bright blue and yellow discontinuous stripes that run crooked to the front of the fish. Additionally, oblique black stripes can be found laterally (this pattern is described as tiger-like by Müller).
The body dimensions of Trachinus draco are described very differently by different authors and seem to differ based on the geographical location where the study has been carried out.
In the Eastern Black Sea, the length distribution of mature fishes ranges from 10 cm (3.9 in) up to a maximum of 25.8 cm (10.2 in) for females and from 9.5 to 22.5 cm (3.7 to 8.9 in) for males. The weight ranges from 6.96 to 131.76 g (0.246 to 4.648 oz) for females and from 5.34 to 75.84 g (0.188 to 2.675 oz) for males. While the largest female recorded in the Eastern Black Sea was 25.8 cm (10.2 in) long, the findings in other studies suggest, that Trachinus draco has a much bigger range in size than that found in this study. In the Algarve Coast of Southern Portugal, the largest female found by Santos et al. had a total maximum length of 39.6 cm (15.6 in). But also in the Black Sea specimens have been observed, that outrange the largest female found by Ak & Genç in 2013. The largest female found by Ak et al. in the Black Sea had a total maximum length of 35 cm (14 in). For Ak & Genç it seems to be clear that many factors contribute to the varying size of Trachinus draco like "temperature, salinity, food (quantity, quality and size), sex, time of year and stage of maturity". The record weight according to the International Game Fish Association is a 1.74 kg (3 lb 13 oz) specimen, caught off La Gomera in the Canary Islands in 2005.
The greater weever has been shown to occur in depths ranging from shallow water up to 150 m (490 ft), where it inhabits mostly muddy or sandy grounds.
The greater weever is an ambush predator that digs itself into fine sand during daytime, with only its eyes and the tip of the dorsal fin exposed. There it lurks until potential prey approaches, which it then attacks in a swift and sudden manner. At night, the greater weever is believed to swim around freely, even pelagically. This is supported by the finding that prey caught during daytime is already mostly digested by the night of the same day.
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Greater weever
The greater weever (Trachinus draco) is a species of marine ray-finned fish in the family Trachinidae. It is a benthic fish widely distributed along the eastern Atlantic coastline (from Norway to Morocco), extending to the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Seas. The greater weever is mostly and notoriously known for its venomous spines, which can inflict serious injuries on humans through accidental stinging. Because of this, the greater weever is classified as one of the most venomous fishes in the Mediterranean.
The term "weever" is thought to originate from the Anglo-Saxon word "wivre", which translates to "viper".
The greater weever is an elongated and laterally flattened fish with a distinct superior mouth that is inclined upwards. The lower jaw is longer than the upper jaw. The head is compact flat and relatively big and the eyes sit almost on top of it. The upper rim of the eye has two to three small spines, in front of each eye. The five to seven spiny fin rays on its first dorsal fin and the thorns on each of the gill covers have venom glands at their basis.
The greater weever is greenish brown with a varying count of dark marks on the upper side of the head. The flank is hued in a yellowish brown with bright blue and yellow discontinuous stripes that run crooked to the front of the fish. Additionally, oblique black stripes can be found laterally (this pattern is described as tiger-like by Müller).
The body dimensions of Trachinus draco are described very differently by different authors and seem to differ based on the geographical location where the study has been carried out.
In the Eastern Black Sea, the length distribution of mature fishes ranges from 10 cm (3.9 in) up to a maximum of 25.8 cm (10.2 in) for females and from 9.5 to 22.5 cm (3.7 to 8.9 in) for males. The weight ranges from 6.96 to 131.76 g (0.246 to 4.648 oz) for females and from 5.34 to 75.84 g (0.188 to 2.675 oz) for males. While the largest female recorded in the Eastern Black Sea was 25.8 cm (10.2 in) long, the findings in other studies suggest, that Trachinus draco has a much bigger range in size than that found in this study. In the Algarve Coast of Southern Portugal, the largest female found by Santos et al. had a total maximum length of 39.6 cm (15.6 in). But also in the Black Sea specimens have been observed, that outrange the largest female found by Ak & Genç in 2013. The largest female found by Ak et al. in the Black Sea had a total maximum length of 35 cm (14 in). For Ak & Genç it seems to be clear that many factors contribute to the varying size of Trachinus draco like "temperature, salinity, food (quantity, quality and size), sex, time of year and stage of maturity". The record weight according to the International Game Fish Association is a 1.74 kg (3 lb 13 oz) specimen, caught off La Gomera in the Canary Islands in 2005.
The greater weever has been shown to occur in depths ranging from shallow water up to 150 m (490 ft), where it inhabits mostly muddy or sandy grounds.
The greater weever is an ambush predator that digs itself into fine sand during daytime, with only its eyes and the tip of the dorsal fin exposed. There it lurks until potential prey approaches, which it then attacks in a swift and sudden manner. At night, the greater weever is believed to swim around freely, even pelagically. This is supported by the finding that prey caught during daytime is already mostly digested by the night of the same day.
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