General Description

Body long and tapering, with a small mouth, thick lips, and the lower pectoral-fin rays extended and thickened. Adults greyish to brownish-grey or greyish-green, paler below; immature fish are more silvery with orange spots on the uppersides and tail. The small silvery juveniles are deep-bodied and compressed with a series of dark brown bars along the back and large orange spots on the sides. Usually 60 cm long head to tail tip (up to 120 cm).

Biology

Dusky morwongs live in seagrass and weed beds and rocky outcrops, where they are usually seen resting on the bottom. Small juveniles are often found in seagrass and weed beds. Although this is the largest morwong species, it is not a popular angling fish due to the dark strong smelling flesh of large adults.

Distribution

Southern Australia.

Habitat

Shallow grass beds and the edges of rocky reefs in coastal waters.

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