Australian Handfish, Brachionichthys australis Last, Gledhill & Holmes, 2007

Scientific name: Brachionichthys australis
  • Author(s)
    Mark McGrouther
  • Updated
    21/12/20
  • Read time
    2 minutes
Brachionichthys australis Click to enlarge image
Two Australian Handfish (42 mm - 52 mm SL), trawled by K. Graham on FV Shelley H at a depth of 100 m, south-east of Bermagui, New South Wales, April 2000. Image: Mark McGrouther
© Australian Museum

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Genus
    Brachionichthys
    Species
    australis
    Family
    Brachionichthyidae
    Order
    Lophiiformes
    Class
    Actinopterygii
    Subphylum
    Vertebrata
    Phylum
    Chordata
    Kingdom
    Animalia
  • Size Range
    The species grows to 8 cm in length.

Introduction

The Australian Handfish was scientifically described in 2007. Two of the authors, Peter Last and Dan Gledhill, both from CSIRO Marine Lab in Hobart, are OzFishNet members.

Identification

The Australian Handfish has a small mouth and gill openings that are restricted to a tubular pore behind the pectoral fins. It has prominent hand-like pectoral fins and jugular pelvic fins.

The dorsal fin is divided into three parts; an illicium on the snout, a tall sail-like spinous dorsal fin on top of the head, and a long-based soft-rayed dorsal fin along the back.

The Australian Handfish is pale with yellow to brown dashes. Most fins are clear with black spots.

In addition to colouration differences, the Australian Handfish differs from the Spotted Handfish, Brachionichthys hirsutus, by having a larger eye, longer illicium, smaller esca and differences in fin lengths and ray counts.

Brachionichthys australis

Australian Handfish, Brachionichthys australis

Image: M. McGrouther
© Australian Museum

Habitat

The species is usually seen in the catches of trawls taken at depths between 18 m and 210 m.

Distribution

It is endemic to Australia, occurring in marine waters from southern New South Wales to the Great Australian Bight, Western Australia.

The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Source: Atlas of Living Australia.

Distribution data sourced from the Atlas of Living Australia

References

  1. Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437. (as Brachionichthys sp)
  2. Last, P.R. in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
  3. Last, P.R., Gledhill, D.C. & B.H. Holmes. 2007. A new handfish, Brachionichthys australis sp. nov. (Lophiiformes: Brachionichthyidae), with a redescription of the critically endangered spotted handfish, B. hirsutus (Lacepède). Zootaxa. 1666: 53-68.