''Latropiscis purpurissatus'', the sergeant baker, is a species of flagfin

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. This

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

grows to a total length of , and is the only known member of its

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

. The

Australian Museum The Australian Museum, originally known as the Colonial Museum or Sydney Museum. is a heritage-listed museum at 1 William Street, Sydney, William Street, Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, New South Wales. It is the oldest natural ...

suggests that the sergeant baker is named after Sergeant William Baker who served as Admiral Arthur Phillip's orderly sergeant. He may have been the first colonist to catch this fish species. Sergeant Baker sailed to Australia aboard the transport ship Charlotte as a Corporal of Marines. Sergeant bakers are commonly found in Australia's warm southern waters between Queensland and Western Australia, dwelling on the bottom of coastal and deep-reef environments. They readily take bait or lures, but are generally considered poor eating.

References

* Aulopidae Marine fish of Australia Fish described in 1843 Monotypic ray-finned fish genera {{Aulopiformes-stub