Magpie perch

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Magpie perch
Cheilodactylus nigripes (Magpie perch).gif
Cheilodactylus nigripes Magpie perch P1031263.JPG
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Cheilodactylidae
Genus: Cheilodactylus
Subgenus: Pseudogoniistius
Ludt, Burridge & Chakrabarty, 2019
Species:
C. nigripes
Binomial name
Cheilodactylus nigripes
Synonyms [1]
  • Pseudogoniistius nigripes(Richardson, 1850)
  • Goniistius vizonarius(Saville-Kent, 1887)
  • Chilodactylus vizonariusSaville-Kent, 1888

The magpie perch (Cheilodactylus (Pseudogoniistius) nigripes), 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).

Contents

Taxonomy

The magpie perch was first formally described in 1850 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] The specific name nigripes means “black foot”, referring to the colour of the ventral fins on a dried specimen. [3]

Although traditionally included in the genus Cheilodactylus in family Cheilodactylidae, genetic and morphological analyses strongly suggest that it belongs in its own genus, called Pseudogoniistius, which is placed in the family Latridae. [4] [2] The name of the genus is a compound of pseudo which means “false” and Goniistius , in reference to another clade traditionally placed in Cheilodactyus sensu lato to which this species bears a resemblance and to the confusion this taxon has wrought among taxonomists of morwongs. [3]

Description

The magpie perch has a robust, oval, compressed body The dorsal profile of the head is concave and there is a pair of small bony protuberances in front of the eyes. It has thick, fleshy lips. The ventral pectoral fin rays are robust and elongated. The dorsal fin contains 18 spines and 24-28 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 10 soft rays. [5] The magpie perch attains a maximum total length of 41 cm (16 in). [1] Thisfish is marked with three wide black bands, the first is on the head, the second girdles the body to the rear of the head and the third runs from the anal fin to the soft rayed part of the dorsal fin. In some individuals the central band is dark and in others it is pale grey. The juveniles have a reddish tail which darkens as they mature. [5] The magpie morwong is able to change its appearance by "turning off" its central black band almost instantly. [6]

Juvenile Chirodactylus nigripes Magpie perch P1061456.JPG
Juvenile

Distribution and habitat

The magpie perch is found in Australia and New Zealand. In Australia is can be found from Albany, Western Australia along the southern coast and northwards on the eastern coast as far as Sydney, it can also be found off the islands in the Bass Strait and northern Tasmania. The epipelagic larvae and small juveniles drift with the currents from Australia across the Tasman Sea accounting for the infrequent records from northern and eastern New Zealand. [5] It can be found on sheltered and exposed coastal reefs, often encountered in caves and below overhangs, at depths between 0 to 25 m (0 to 82 ft). [7]

Biology

The magpie perch feeds on benthic invertebrates which it draws through its mouth by sucking them up from the sediment and from algal turfs. [5] They often use caves and overhangs to shelter in, frequently as small groups. [7]

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.

<i>Chironemus</i> Genus of fishes

Chironemus is a genus of marine ray finned fish, commonly known as kelpfishes, belonging to the family Chironemidae. They are found in the temperate waters of the Southern Pacific Ocean.

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.

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.

Dusky morwong Species of fish

The dusky 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 native to the western and southern coastal reefs of Australia. This species is the only known member of its genus.

<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>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 genus of marine ray-finned fish traditionally classified as a subgenus 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.

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.

The silver trumpter is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Latridae, the trumpeters. It has only been recorded from the Foundation Seamounts in the South Pacific Ocean.

References

  1. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2021). "Pseudogoniistius nigripes" in FishBase. June 2021 version.
  2. 1 2 Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Pseudogoniistius". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  3. 1 2 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.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Bray, D.J. (2021). "Pseudogoniistius nigripes". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 4 Aug 2021.
  6. ↑ Mark McGrouther; Sascha Schultz (31 March 2021). "Cheilodactylus nigripes, Richardson, 1850". Australian Museum. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  7. 1 2 Bray, D.J. & Gomon, M.F. (2011). "Magpie Perch, Cheilodactylus nigripes". Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay. Museum Victoria. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
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