Crocodile Flathead

Leviprora inops

Fish
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth3–47 m
Water temperature16–22 °C
Best monthsJuly and August
How commonOccasional

Photo credit: (c) Josh Nitschke, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

The longhead flathead, also known as the crocodile flathead or weed flathead, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. This species is endemic to reefs in the coastal waters of southern Australia.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Longhead flathead”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 29 records
February: 55 records
March: 44 records
April: 26 records
May: 33 records
June: 42 records
July: 180 records
August: 258 records
September: 18 records
October: 16 records
November: 25 records
December: 29 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 3–47 m · Deepest record: 50 m

0–10 m: 5 records
10–20 m: 5 records
20–30 m: 1 records
30–40 m: 2 records
40–50 m: 1 records
50–60 m: 1 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 16–22 °C

14–16 °C: 1 records
16–18 °C: 17 records
18–20 °C: 11 records
20–22 °C: 14 records
22–24 °C: 2 records

Photos

(c) Belinda Forbes, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Josh Nitschke, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
(c) Belinda Forbes, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Robert Webster, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist

Names and classification

English: Crocodile Flathead, Long-headed Flathead, Longhead Flatfish, Longhead Flathead, Weed Flathead

Other scientific names: Platycephalus haackei, Platycephalus inops, Platycephalus semermis

Similar species

Elates ransonnettii
Japanese Flathead
Inegocia japonica
Crocodile fish
Cymbacephalus beauforti
Black-freckled Flathead
Cymbacephalus nematophthalmus
Indian flathead
Platycephalus indicus
Longsnout flathead
Thysanophrys 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).
78 open-data records from 1919 to 2023.
Species data updated November 4, 2026.

Log what you see on your next dive

The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.

Join the waitlist