STARGAZER

fish of two related families, Uranoscopidae (electric stargazers) and Dactyloscopidae (sand stargazers), both of the order Perciformes. Stargazers are elongated fishes that habitually bury themselves in the bottom. They have tapered bodies and big, heavy, flat heads. Their mouths slant vertically, their lips are fringed, and their eyes are on top of the head (hence the common name). The electric stargazers comprise about 25 species found worldwide in warm and temperate seas. Some of these fishes have a large spine on each shoulder, and some (Astroscopus) have electrical organs on top of the head. The largest members of the family grow to about 9 kg (20 pounds) in weight. The sand stargazers, totaling about 24 species, are found in the New World tropics, in both Atlantic and Pacific oceans. They are small fishes, about 10 cm (4 inches) or less in length.