stargazer

stargazer common name for any of several species of marine fishes of the family Uranoscopidae, found in southern waters, and having the mouth, nostrils, and eyes set high in the head. Stargazers lie buried in the sand, waiting for their prey of small crustaceans. Some species have electrical cells, developed from the optic nerve, capable of inflicting strong shocks. A closely related family (Dactyloscopidae) comprises the sand stargazers, which have eyes also set high in the head. They are found in the Atlantic Ocean in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Stargazers of both families are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Osteichthyes, order Perciformes, families Uranoscopidae and Dactyloscopidae.

star·gaz·er / ˈstärˌgāzər/ • n. 1. inf. an astronomer or astrologer. ∎  a daydreamer. 2. a fish (families Uranoscopidae and Dactyloscopidae) of warm seas that normally lies buried in the sand with only its eyes, which are on top of the head, protruding. DERIVATIVES: star·gaze v.

Dactyloscopidae (sand stargazer; subclass Actinopterygii, order Perciformes) A family of mainly marine, tropical fish that have a somewhat bulky head, a large and almost vertical mouth, eyes positioned on top of the head, and long dorsal and anal fins, the anal fin originating well forward under the spinous dorsal. The lateral line is well developed. The fish tend to bury themselves in the sand with only part of the head free, awaiting the arrival of unsuspecting prey. There are about 20 Atlantic and Pacific species.