The smooth leatherjacket or velvet leatherjacket (''Meuschenia scaber'') is a

filefish The filefish (Monacanthidae) are a diverse family of tropical to subtropical tetraodontiform marine fish, which are also known as foolfish, leatherjackets, or shingles. They live in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Filefish are closely ...

of the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Monacanthidae, found off eastern

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 ...

and all around

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

to depths of about , on rocky weedy

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral, or similar relatively stable material lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic component, abiotic (non-living) processes such as deposition (geol ...

areas. Its length is between . In New Zealand it is simply known as leatherjacket as it is the only fish of this family commonly found there, by the

Māori language Māori (; endonym: 'the Māori language', commonly shortened to ) is an Eastern Polynesian languages, Eastern Polynesian language and the language of the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. The southernmost membe ...

name kōkiri, or by its commercial name cream fish.

Distribution

The species is found from

Cape Naturaliste Cape Naturaliste is a headland in the south western region of Western Australia at the western edge of the Geographe Bay. It is the northernmost point of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge, which was named after the cape. The Leeuwin-Naturaliste Nat ...

, Western Australia, to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, New South Wales, around

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

, and around the waters of

Behaviour

Leatherjackets have a hard, sandpaper-like exterior which they use as a defense mechanism, which causes the fish to swim slowly. Because of this, the diet of leatherjackets is atypical, focusing on slow-moving species such as sponges, sea squirts and barnacles. Smooth leatherjackets are monogamous.

In a human context

Leatherjackets developed a reputation for being bold among

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

in New Zealand, who named the fish kōkiri, a Polynesian word used to describe species such as

triggerfish Triggerfish are about 40 species of often brightly colored marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Balistidae. Often marked by lines and spots, they inhabit tropical and subtropical oceans throughout the world, with the greatest speci ...

. The fish was one of the most commonly found in middens from the archaic period of

Māori history The history of the Māori began with the arrival of Polynesian settlers in New Zealand (''Aotearoa'' in Māori), in a series of ocean migrations in canoes starting from the late 13th or early 14th centuries. Over time, in isolation, the Poly ...

. Yellowfish liver was known as a delicacy among Māori. The fish developed a poor reputation among early European fishermen in New Zealand, as the fish would often eat bait without being caught due to their small mouths. The fish were difficult to sell, with many

fishmonger A fishmonger (historically fishwife for female practitioners) is someone who sells raw fish and seafood. Fishmongers can be wholesalers or retailers and are trained at selecting and purchasing, handling, gutting, boning, filleting, displaying, ...

s removing the heads and skin of fish. Over time, the name cream fish was adopted as a more palatable name for the fish, which boosted sales.

References

External links

* * Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, ''Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand'', (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) Monacanthidae Fish described in 1801 Marine fish of Eastern Australia Marine fish of New Zealand Marine fish of Southern Australia Marine fish of Tasmania Marine fish of Western Australia New Zealand seafood Taxa named by Johann Reinhold Forster {{Tetraodontiformes-stub

Distribution

Behaviour

In a human context

See also

References

External links