General Description
Body slender, compressed; orbital tentacle with a number of lobes; last fin spine of first dorsal connected by membrane to base of second dorsal fin; dorsal fin spines usually with free unbranched tips; anal fin membranes deeply incised. Colour variable, often reddish-brown or greenish, with about 7 broken bars extending onto dorsal and anal fins; sometimes uniformly dark; a large black spot present below first dorsal fin on each side; a black bar from below eye to upper jaw. To 20 cm.
Biology
Live bearers with the young developing inside eggs and hatching within the female before the well-developed larvae are born live. Individual females usually carry multiple batches of eggs and/or embryos at the same time. This is the most common weedfish in seagrass beds in Port Phillip, Victoria.
Distribution
South-eastern Australia, including western and central Victoria.
Habitat
Amongst rocks, seagrass and algae in bays, tides pools and along the coast in depths of 0-10 m.
More Information
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Animal Type
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Animal SubType
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Brief Id
Well-camouflaged bottom-dwelling fishes with reduced finger-like pelvic fins located under the rear of the head, the dorsal fin with a long-based spinous portion joined to a short soft-rayed portion, and the head adorned with slender orbital tentacle having a number of lobes. Large black spot present below first dorsal fin on each side.
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Colours
Red-brown, Greenish, Black
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Maximum Size
20 cm
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Habitats
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Endemicity
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Commercial
No
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Conservation Statuses
DSE Advisory List: Not listed, EPBC Act 1999: Not listed, IUCN Red List: Not listed
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Depths
Shore (0-1 m), Shallow (1-30 m)
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Water Column Locations
On or near seafloor
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Taxon Name
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Scientific Author
(Valenciennes, 1836)
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Common Name
Common Weedfish
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Kingdom
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Phylum
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Subphylum
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Superclass
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Class
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Order
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Family
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Genus
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Species Name
perspicillatus
