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 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 ...

, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. It is found off southern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and northern New Zealand from shallow depths to .

Taxonomy

The magpie perch was first formally described in 1850 by the

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

naval surgeon,

arctic explorer Arctic exploration is the physical exploration of the Arctic region of the Earth. It refers to the historical period during which mankind has explored the region north of the Arctic Circle. Historical records suggest that humankind have explored ...

and naturalist Sir John Richardson with the type locality given as King George Sound in Western Australia. The specific name ''nigripes'' means “black foot”, referring to the colour of the ventral fins on a dried

specimen Specimen may refer to: Science and technology * Sample (material), a limited quantity of something which is intended to be similar to and represent a larger amount * Biological specimen or biospecimen, an organic specimen held by a biorepository ...

. Although traditionally included in the genus ''

Cheilodactylus ''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 N ...

'' in family

, genetic and morphological analyses strongly suggest that it belongs in its own genus, called ''Pseudogoniistius'', which is placed in the family

Latridae 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 a ...

. The name of the genus is a compound of ''pseudo'' which means “false” and ''

Goniistius ''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 t ...

'', 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 In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are given ...

of morwongs.

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 Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

has 3 spines and 10 soft rays. The magpie perch attains a maximum total length of .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. The magpie morwong is able to change its appearance by "turning off" its central black band almost instantly. Chirodactylus nigripes Magpie perch P1061456

Chirodactylus nigripes Magpie perch P1061456

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

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, it can also be found off the islands in the

Bass Strait Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The strait provides the most direct waterwa ...

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. It can be found on sheltered and exposed coastal reefs, often encountered in caves and below overhangs, at depths between .

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. They often use caves and overhangs to shelter in, frequently as small groups.

References

* Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, ''Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand'', (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) {{Taxonbar, from=Q1968491

magpie perch 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 common ...

Marine fish of Southern Australia Fish of the North Island