Stargazers

Distribution: Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific. Scaleless or with small smooth scales. Large cuboidal head. Mouth strongly oblique, with fringed lips. Eyes dorsally located or nearly dorsal. Lateral line high. Pelvic fins jugular and very close to each other. One spine in pelvic fin; soft rays 5. Dorsal fin moderately long; many without spinous dorsal. Anal fin moderately long. Some species use a small vermiform filament originating from floor of mouth for attracting prey fish. Two large poison spines, with double-grooves and a poison gland basally, located behind opercle and above pectorals. Vertebrae 24-26. The genus Astroscopus with internal nostrils for inhalation and electric organs.