Dusky morwong

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Dusky morwong
Dactylophora nigricans P1142343.JPG
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Cheilodactylidae
Genus: Dactylophora
De Vis, 1883
Species:
D. nigricans
Binomial name
Dactylophora nigricans
Synonyms [1]
  • Cheilodactylus nigricansRichardson, 1850
  • Psilocranium nigricans(Richardson, 1850)

The dusky morwong (Dactylophora nigricans) is a species of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. It is native to the western and southern coastal reefs of Australia. This species is the only known member of its genus.

Contents

Taxonomy

The dusky morwong was first formally described in 1850 as Cheilodactylus nigricans by the Scottish naval surgeon, arctic explorer and naturalist Sir John Richardson with the type locality given as King George Sound in Western Australia. [2] In 1883 the English zoologist Charles De Vis created the genus Dactylophora with this species the type species by monotypy, it is still the only species in the genus. [3] The genus name is a compound of dactylus meaning "finger" and phora which means "to bear" or "carry", a reference to the single elongated, unbranched pectoral fin ray. The specific name nigricans means "blackish", as the species description was based on a drawing which showed a dark greyish-black colour on the back, head and fins. [4]

Genetic and morphological analyses strongly suggest that Dactylophora should be placed in the family Latridae, along with almost all of the other species formerly classified in the Cheilodactylidae. Only two Southern African species, Cheilodactylus fasciatus and C. pixi would remain in Cheilodactylidae. [5] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World, however, retains Dactylophora within the family Cheiloactylidae. [6]

Description

Dusky morwong adults are greyish to brownish grey on the upper body and whitish ventrally. The subadults are silvery with lines of orangish spots on the flanks and dark spots on the dorsal and caudal fins. The juveniles have deeper bodies which are silvery marked with dark bands on the upper flanks extending upwards onto the dorsal fin. [7] This is a large species which attains a maximum total length of 120 cm (47 in). [1]

Distribution and habitat

The dusky morwong is endemic to southern Australia where it occurs from the Houtman Abrolhos in Western Australia to the Clarence River in New South Wales, and around Tasmania. [8] They are found at depths of 1 to 30 m (3 ft 3 in to 98 ft 5 in) on rocky reefs, in seagrass beds or over soft sediments. [9] The larvae prefer seagrass beds. [7]

Biology

The dusky morwong feeds on benthic invertebrates such as polychaetes, isopods and amphipods, as well as brown algae. [1]

Related Research Articles

Cheilodactylidae Family of fishes

Cheilodactylidae, commonly called morwongs but also known as butterfish, fingerfins, jackassfish, sea carp, snappers, and moki, is a family of marine ray-finned fish. They are found in subtropical oceans in the Southern Hemisphere. The common name "morwong" is also used as a name for several unrelated fish found in Australian waters, such as the painted sweetlips. The classification of the species within the Cheilodactylidae and the related Latridae is unclear.

Red moki Species of fish

The red moki also known as the banded morwong, brown-banded morwong, carp or nanua is a species of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, commonly referred to as morwongs. It is found off southern Australia and the North Island of New Zealand

Porae Species of fish

The porae, the grey morwong, blue morwong, butterfish, Douglas' morwong, Eastern blue morwong, great perch, queen snapper, rubberlip morwong or silver morwong, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. found around south eastern Australia and the north eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand at depths of about 10 to 100 metres, on sandy and rocky coasts.

<i>Nemadactylus macropterus</i> Species of fish

Nemadactylus macropterus, the tarakihi, jackass morwong or deep sea perch, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. It is found in the south western Pacific Ocean, in Australia and New Zealand. Although there are records from the southern Indian Ocean and southwestern Atlantic, these may be due to misidentifications of similar species.

Latridae Family of fishes

Latridae commonly called trumpeters, is a family of marine ray-finned fish. They are found in temperate seas in the Southern Hemisphere. The classification of the species within the Latridae and the related Cheilodactylidae is unclear.They are fished commercially and for sport.

Redfingers Species of fish

The redfingers is a species of marine ray-finned fish, belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, commonly referred to as morwongs. It is found only off the coasts of Namibia and South Africa, in rock pools and from shallow depths to 120 m, on rocky reef areas. Its length is up to 30 cm.

Magpie perch Species of fish

The magpie perch, magpie morwong or black-striped morwong, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. It is found off southern Australia and northern New Zealand from shallow depths to 250 m (820 ft).

Barred fingerfin Species of fish

The barred fingerfin is a species of marine ray-finned fish, belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, commonly referred to as morwongs. It is found only in the southeastern Atlantic and southwestern Indian Oceans off the coasts of South Africa.

Red morwong Species of fish

The red morwong, also known as the sea carp, is a species of marine ray finned fish traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. It is found off southeast Australia and the North Island of New Zealand from shallow depths to at least 55 m, on rocky reef and coastal areas. Its length is between 30 and 60 cm.

Painted moki Species of fish

The painted moki, also known as the painted morwong, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. It is found in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.

St. Pauls fingerfin Species of fish

St. Paul's fingerfin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. It is native to the southwestern Indian Ocean and southeastern Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Cheilodactylus</i> Genus of fishes

Cheilodactylus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, known as morwongs, although this name is not unique to this family. They are found in the temperate waters of the southern hemisphere and in the North Pacific Ocean.

<i>Chirodactylus</i> Genus of fish

Chirodactylus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs.They are native to the Atlantic, Indian and eastern Pacific oceans off southern Africa and South America.

<i>Nemadactylus</i> Genus of fishes

Nemadactylus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. They are found in the South Atlantic, Indian and South Pacific Oceans.

<i>Latris</i> (fish) Genus of fishes

Latris is a genus of marine ray finned fish belonging to the family Latridae, the trumpeters. They are found in the southern oceans.

<i>Goniistius</i> Genus of Actinopterygii

Goniistius is a subgenus of marine ray-finned fishes, traditionally classified as being within the genus Cheilodactylus and belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, known as morwongs, although this name is not unique to this family and the true taxonomic placement of this taxon requires clarification. They are found in the Pacific Ocean and southeastern Indian Ocean.

<i>Morwong</i> (genus) Genus of fishes

Morwong is a subgenus of marine ray-finned fish traditionally classified within the genus Cheilodactylus and as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae found in oceans off Australia and New Zealand. They were formerly included in the genus Cheilodactylus in family Cheilodactylidae, but based on genetic and morphological analyses they have strongly suggested that the genus Morwong is a valid genus and should be placed in the family Latridae.

<i>Chirodactylus variegatus</i> Species of fish

Chirodactylus variegatus, the Peruvian morwong or bilagai, is a species of marine ray-finned fish traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. It is found in the southeastern Pacific Ocean off the western coast of South America.

Spottedtail morwong

The spottedtail morwong is a species of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. It is found in the northwest Pacific Ocean.

<i>Nemadactylus valenciennesi</i> Species of fish

Nemadactylus valenciennesi, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. It is endemic to southern Australia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2021). "Dactylophora nigricans" in FishBase. June 2021 version.
  2. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Dactylophora". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  3. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Latridae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  4. ↑ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (25 February 2021). "Order Centrarchiformes: Families Centrarchidae, Elassomatidae, Eoplosidae, Sinipercidae, Aplodactylidae, Cheilodactylidae, Chironemidae, Cirrhitidae, Latridae, Percichthydiae, Dichistitidae, Girellidae, Kuhliidae, Kyphosidae, Oplegnathidae, Terapontidae, Microcanthidae, and Scorpididae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  5. ↑ Ludt, W.B.; Burridge, C.P. & Chakrabarty, P. (2019). "A taxonomic revision of Cheilodactylidae and Latridae (Centrarchiformes: Cirrhitoidei) using morphological and genomic characters". Zootaxa. 585 (1). doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4585.1.7.
  6. ↑ J. S. Nelson; T. C. Grande; M. V. H. Wilson (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Wiley. p. 459. ISBN   978-1-118-34233-6.
  7. 1 2 Mark McGrouther (26 February 2021). "Dusky Morwong, Dactylophora nigricans (Richardson, 1850)". Australian Museum. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  8. ↑ Bray, D.J. (2020). "Dactylophora nigricans". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  9. ↑ "Dactylophora nigricans". Reef Life Survey. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
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