are these tiny flathead?

[ginko]

On Anzac Day we took the boys out for a walk from forty baskets beach to manly. On the way, just south east of fairlight beach are some great little rock pools. While I fretted about blue rings, my 3 boys busied themselves poking fingers into each pool. Then the eldest cried out "flathead"!

I swear, they are anatomically identical to full size flatties. As you can see in the pics, they also displayed very good colour changing to fit in with the colour of what ever they were lying on, including the ability to match different parts of their body to different backgrounds.

Can anyone tell me if these are "for real" flatties, or some guppy-sized version?

[Howdoweplaythis]

Sure looks like the little flatties ive seen. They nibble on my toes when i wade around the water.

[Spooooled]

does look like flatties, how do you get down to forty baskets through the street at the top?

[J Hooked]

They do look like flatties. Tiny little buggers!

[barnzey]

It's a bit hard to tell since the photos are a bit blurred but from the outlines they look like a type of blenny which are very common in rock pools. They don't grow very big.

On the second photo the head does not look flat enough and the fins are too high on the body. Here's a comparison photo that I took of a flathead that's 2cm long.

When looking from above such as looking down into a rock pool they look similar but side on quite different

Flathead

Blenny

[Yowie]

Look like blennies or gudgeons.

[aeb870]

Ye, I really don't think it's a flathead. From the photos by Barnzey, does seem like a blenny

[ginko]

Sorry for the blurriness - the camera's focus was screwed up by the water's surface I think.

But these were definitely not blennies or gudgeons - their body shape was exactly like flatties, even if photos don't show this so clearly and just from the photos, I can see how they look like they might be blennies. Maybe I should have tried picking one up and seeing if it spiked me!

I could not see the flathead in the comparison photo - it just looks like sand?

We'd hiked a fair way along the spit-manly walk to get to 40 baskets, but I think there is fairly direct access from the back roads in clontarf.

[J Hooked]

Aha!

Still, there tiny little buggers!

Edited April 30, 2012 by J Hooked

[barnzey]

But these were definitely not blennies or gudgeons - their body shape was exactly like flatties, even if photos don't show this so clearly and just from the photos, I can see how they look like they might be blennies. Maybe I should have tried picking one up and seeing if it spiked me!

I could not see the flathead in the comparison photo - it just looks like sand?

They could be baby flatties but the way the fish sit with the tail curled is typical of blennies. Of all the baby flatties I've seen underwater almost all sat with their tails straight. As for the comparison photo, it's of a sand flathead sitting half covered. To make it harder for you I'll put up the uncropped version from when I spotted him

As for gudgeons what family are they in? A quick google search only turns up freshwater fish?

[Yowie]

They could be baby flatties but the way the fish sit with the tail curled is typical of blennies. Of all the baby flatties I've seen underwater almost all sat with their tails straight. As for the comparison photo, it's of a sand flathead sitting half covered. To make it harder for you I'll put up the uncropped version from when I spotted him

As for gudgeons what family are they in? A quick google search only turns up freshwater fish?

Try PTERELEOTRIDAE OR BLENNIIDAE.

Have caught many Dusky flathead over 50 years, but none smaller than about 25cms.

Edited April 30, 2012 by yowie

[borgie_29]

I was near some rock pools a few weeks ago and seen these exact same things, To me they looked exactly like baby flatties. I was going to keep one and put it in a fish tank but I thought it was a bit slack seeing everything I ever put in a fish tank seemed to die. I left the poor little babies there.

They are to flat to be Gudgeons

[Trapper Tom]

Hey Guys

Most definitely not baby Flatties.

Wrong envroment structure etc etc.

They are very common in rock pools etc etc and other shallow sandy areas.

Commonly called "Gudgeons".

Have not sourced their scientific name but I am sure someone will.

heers

Trapper Tom

[barnzey]

Try PTERELEOTRIDAE OR BLENNIIDAE.

Have caught many Dusky flathead over 50 years, but none smaller than about 25cms.

So gudgeons are ptereleotridae? Or are we saying Blennies (BLENNIIDAE) are called gudgeons?

[Yowie]

So gudgeons are ptereleotridae? Or are we saying Blennies (BLENNIIDAE) are called gudgeons?

I'm saying look at both Families, as I cannot tell from the photograph. When I was a kid, the old fishermen told me they were most likely Gudgeons.

Marine gudgeons are found in the family PTERELEOTRIDAE.

What you have photographed are not baby flathead.

[brettmann86]

For baby flathead and I literally humbereds

Of them them go no further than narrabeen lagoon it's an amazing to see them while ur Chasing whiting

[nath_reptile]

Barnzy, that pic of a flathead is actually a sole, not a flatty...I catch these by hand round Lilli Pilli...Flathead dig a long thin trench..