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Beckmannjan / CC BY-SA / https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Flughahn.jpgIMAGE INFORMATION

Batfish ([blank]) a species of Flying fish, caught at St. Eustatia [Eustatius]

Object Status:

Unlocated

Accession Date:

September 28, 1819

Primary Source Reference:

Peale Museum Accessions Book, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, p. 99

Notes:

Probably the flying gurnard (Dactylopterus volitans), also known as the batfish, which, when excited, spreads its "wings," which are semi-transparent, with a phosphorescent bright blue coloration at their tips.

Specimen Type:

Dead/preserved

Current Common Name:

Flying gurnard

Current Scientific Name

Dactylopterus volitans