About Ogcocephalus cubifrons (Richardson, 1836)
Ogcocephalus cubifrons, commonly called the polka-dot batfish, has a flattened head that is higher than the rest of its triangular body disk, and a pointed snout. In juveniles, the snout is thinner and longer, while in large adults it develops into a short, upward-pointing knob. Adult individuals have very large heads, with eyes positioned on the lateral sides of the head. Its esca, or lure, has three fleshy points and can be retracted into the illicial cavity located under the rostrum. A blunt, simple, poorly developed spine sits on the lower posterior angle of the operculum. Its gill rakers are oval-shaped plates covered in small teeth, and the gill openings are small, opening behind the upper base of the pectoral fin. Both the pectoral fins and pelvic fins are limb-like, and the pectoral fins do not attach widely to the body. The skin on the underside of the fin rays is thick and spongy, forming pads near the tips of the fin rays, and the fin membrane is also thick and opaque. The dorsal and anal fins are small: the dorsal fin is covered in skin and sits on the tail, while the anal fin is fleshy and located under the tail. The upper body surface is covered in large buckler-like scales that bear conical spines. The entire lower body surface is covered in pointed, bony scales, and the underside of the tail has a dense covering of small spines, with just a few conical spines along its midline. The upper body is colored pale brown to coppery red, marked with orange-red and yellow-orange blotches that are mostly located behind the eyes. A band of dark spots with pale edges runs from each eye to the gill opening. The pectoral fins are pale, marked with a pattern of dark spots that forms a reticulated pattern on the basal two-thirds of the fin. The sides of the body disk have a lattice of pale lines set against a dark background. Smaller polka-dot batfish have yellow pectoral fins and a yellow caudal fin, which sometimes has dark brown edges. This species reaches a maximum published total length of 38 cm (15 in). Ogcocephalus cubifrons is distributed in the Western Atlantic Ocean, occurring from North Carolina south along the eastern coast of the United States to the Bahamas. It is also found in the Gulf of Mexico, from the Florida Keys north to Apalachicola, Florida, and off the Mexican states of Campeche and Yucatán. While there have been claims of this species occurring in the northern Gulf of Mexico, these records are likely misidentifications of Ogcocephalus pantostictus. The polka-dot batfish is an uncommon demersal fish that lives on sand, mud, and rock substrates at depths ranging from 0 to 70 m (0 to 230 ft).
