crocodile flathead
Cociella crocodilus
- Usual depth0–33 m
- Water temperature18–29 °C
- Best monthsSeptember and October
- How commonOccasional
About this species
The crocodile flathead is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. It is found in the western Pacific Ocean.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Crocodile flathead”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
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Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 2 records
- February: 1 records
- March: 0 records
- April: 2 records
- May: 2 records
- June: 2 records
- July: 3 records
- August: 2 records
- September: 6 records
- October: 5 records
- November: 1 records
- December: 0 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 0–33 m · Deepest record: 32.5 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 18–29 °C
Names and classification
- English
- crocodile flathead, Spotted Flathead
Names in 3 more languages
- Spanish
- Chato Cocodrilo
- French
- Platycéphale crocodile
- Japanese
- イネゴチ, ワニゴチ
Other scientific names: Cociella crocodila, Cociella crocodile, Cociella crocodiles, Cociella crocodilla, Cocius crocodila, Cocius crocodilus, Inegocia crocodilus, Inegocia guttata, Platycephalus crocodila, Platycephalus crocodilus, Platycephalus guttatus, Platycephalus inermis
Similar species
- Mangrove Crocodilefish
Cociella punctata
- Japanese Flathead
Inegocia japonica
Crocodile fishCymbacephalus beauforti
Black-freckled FlatheadCymbacephalus nematophthalmus
Longsnout flatheadThysanophrys chiltonae
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 352 open-data records from 1812 to 2025.
- Species data updated October 26, 2026.
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