South Australian cobbler

The South Australian cobbler, Gymnapistes marmoratus, often just called "cobbler" or "estuary cobbler" in Australia, is a brown coloured fish that lives in estuaries in southern Australia, both on the eastern (New South Wales) and western (Western Australia - near Perth) coasts. It grows to around 60 cm in length. Its pectoral and dorsal fins have embedded spines which contain venom. Puncture wounds from these spines can be very painful.[1]

South Australian cobbler
Scientific classification
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Genus:
Gymnapistes

Swainson, 1839
Species:
G. marmoratus
Binomial name
Gymnapistes marmoratus
(G. Cuvier, 1829)

The species is found in estuaries and silty bays. This species lies motionless through the day, becoming active at night, when the smaller ones eat shrimp and crabs, while the larger cobblers eat other fish. They spawn in August and September.

Another cobbler is an unrelated species of catfish, also found in Australia. Some species of Trachinotus are also called "cobblers" in the Caribbean.

References

  • "Gymnapistes marmoratus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 24 January 2006.


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