About Echiichthys vipera (Cuvier, 1829)
The lesser weever, with the scientific name Echiichthys vipera, is a venomous weever fish belonging to the family Trachinidae, order Perciformes, and class Actinopterygii. This species is most commonly found on sandy seabeds in open waters close to shore. When disturbed, lesser weavers can deliver painful severe stings to swimmers in the water, and to fishermen who are cleaning their fishing nets. The maximum recorded body length of the lesser weever is 27.7 cm (10.9 in), but most individuals grow to less than 10 cm (3.9 in) long. It has an elongated body; its back is greyish-brown, and its sides are silvery-white. It has no spines located in front of its eyes. Lesser weever fish are distributed in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, ranging from the North Sea around the British Isles south to Morocco and Madeira, and they also live in the Mediterranean Sea. They typically rest on the seabed, partially buried in sand, with only their eyes and the tip of their first dorsal fin exposed above the sediment.
