Morwong (genus)

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Morwong
CheilodactylusFuscusRLS.jpg
Red morwong Cheilodactylus (Morwong) fuscus
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Cheilodactylidae
Genus: Cheilodactylus
Subgenus: Morwong
Whitley, 1957
Type species
Cheilodactylus fuscus
Castelnau, 1879

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.

Contents

Taxonomy

Morwong was first used as a name for a genus in 1957 when the Australian ichthyologist Gilbert Percy Whitley designated Cheilodactylus fuscus as its type species by monotypy. It was, however, traditionally regarded as synonymous with Cheilodactylus. [1] The genus name is the name in Australian English, the origins of which are unknown, for a number of similar fish species, mostly in the families Cheilodactylidae and Latridae. [2]

Painted moki (Cheilodactylus (Morwong) ephippium) CheilodactylusEphippiumRLSLHI.jpg
Painted moki (Cheilodactylus (Morwong) ephippium)

Although the red morwong has usually been assigned to Cheilodactylus , DNA studies published in the early 2000s recovered Cheilodactylus fuscus as closer to Nemadactylus than to the Cheilodactylus type species. In the meantime, John E. Randall has recommended using the generic name Morwong for C. fuscus. In this case, Cheilodactylus ephippum would also become a referred species of Morwong, as M. ephippum, because Burridge and White (2000) and Burridge and Smolenski (2004) recovered it as sister to the red morwong. [3] [4] [5] Genetic and morphological analyses have also strongly suggested that only two southern African species in Cheilodactylus, C. fasciatus and C. pixi , make up a monophyletic clade and that all the other “morwongs” were closer to the Latridae. [6]

Species

There are two recognized species in this clade: [6] [7]

Characteristics

Morwong is distinguished from related taxa by having 16-18 spines and 30-35 soft rays in the dorsal fin while the anal fin has 3 spines and 8-9 soft rays. They have 13-14 pectoral fin rays with the lowest 5-6 being simple and robust. They are generally brown or red in colour. [6] They have maximum lengths of 55 cm (22 in) for M. epphipium [8] and 65 cm (26 in) [9] for M. fuscus. Compared to Goniistius Morwong has a shallower head and a shorter 4th dorsal fin spine while compared to Chirodactylus they have a greater number of scales along the lateral line, 59–66 as opposed to 46–56, and a higher number of soft rays in the dorsal fin, 30–35 as opposed to 22–31. [6]

Distribution, habitat and biology

Morwong fishes are found in the southwestern Pacific Ocean in southeastern Australia, the Tasman Sea and northern New Zealand. [10] These fishes inhabit rocky substrates where they feed on benthic invertebrates. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheilodactylidae</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red moki</span> 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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porae</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latridae</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redfingers</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magpie perch</span> 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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barred fingerfin</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red morwong</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Painted moki</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Paul's fingerfin</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dusky morwong</span> 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>Latridopsis</i> Genus of fishes

Latridopsis is a genus of marine ray finned fish belonging to the family Latridae, the trumpeters. They are found in the southwestern Pacific Ocean and the southeastern Indian Ocean.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spottedtail morwong</span>

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. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Latridae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  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 1 August 2021.
  3. C. P. Burridge and R.W.G. White (2000). "Molecular phylogeny of the antitropical subgenus Goniistius (Perciformes: Cheilodactylidae: Cheilodactylus): evidence for multiple transequatorial divergences and non-monophyly". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 70: 435–458. doi:10.1006/bijl.1999.0413.
  4. Christopher P. Burridge and Adam J. Smolenski (2004). "Molecular phylogeny of the Cheilodactylidae and Latridae (Perciformes: Cirrhitoidea) with notes on taxonomy and biogeography". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 30: 118–127. doi:10.1016/S1055-7903(03)00157-X.
  5. J.E. Randall (2001). "CHEILODACTYLIDAE". In Carpenter, K.E. and Niem, V.H. (eds.). FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 5. Bony fishes part 3 (Menidae to Pomacentridae) (PDF). FAO Rome. p. 3329.
  6. 1 2 3 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.
  7. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Morwong". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  8. "Cheilodactylus ephippium". Reef Life Survey. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  9. "Cheilodactylus fuscus". Reef Life Survey. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  10. 1 2 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2021). Species of Morwong in FishBase . June 2021 version.