Dollfus' Stargazer Video Stock Footage

Dollfus' stargazer grows to a maximum length of about 23.7 cm (9.3 in). The body is somewhat elongate and tapers towards the tail. The head is bony and somewhat flattened, with and eyes set near the top and an upturned mouth, fringed with papillae. A ribbon-like tentacle projects from inside the lower jaw. There is a large, upward-pointing venomous humeral spine, further spines above the wide gill openings and three downward-pointing blunt spines in front of the eye. The dorsal fin is divided into two parts and has four spines and twelve to fourteen soft rays. The anal fin has thirteen to fourteen soft rays and the caudal fin is slightly rounded. The lateral line is high on the body and there are no scales on the head, nape or abdomen apart from a few embedded ones above the front of the lateral line. The colour of this fish is greyish-brown with paler underparts. There are reddish bony ridges on the head and the spinous dorsal fin is black with a white base. The caudal fin has a white margin.