General Description
Body moderately long and compressed with long pectoral fins, a long-based dorsal fin and a forked tail. Overall pinkish above, paler below. Adults are sparsely spotted, with a large black blotch on the sides, pale blue fin margins and a silvery-blue bar behind the eye. Up to 30 cm long head to tail tip.
Biology
Butterfly Perch occur around high profile rocky reefs, outcrops and drop-offs, in depths of 4-100 m. They form large schools and feed on plankton in the water column. Although they rarely enter bays, Butterfly Perch usually occur at shallower depths in the southern parts of their range.
Distribution
New Zealand and Southern Australia.
Habitat
Rocky reefs and drop-offs, to depth of 100 m.
More Information
-
Animal Type
-
Animal SubType
-
Brief Id
Pink body, black patch mid-body.
-
Habitats
-
Diet
Omnivore
-
Diet Categories
Plankton, Organic matter
-
Endemicity
-
Commercial
No
-
Conservation Statuses
CITES: Not listed, FFG Threatened List: Not listed, EPBC Act 1999: Not listed, IUCN Red List: Not listed
-
Depths
Deep ( > 30 m)
-
Water Column Locations
On or near seafloor
-
Taxon Name
-
Scientific Author
(Forster, 1801)
-
Common Name
Butterfly Perch
-
Kingdom
-
Phylum
-
Subphylum
-
Superclass
-
Class
-
Order
-
Family
-
Subfamily
-
Genus
-
Species Name
lepidoptera