Blacktail Grubfish Click to enlarge image
A female Blacktail Grubfish at a depth of 12 m, Mantis Reef, Wreck Bay, far northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, December 1999. Image: Erik Schlögl.
© Erik Schlögl

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Genus
    Parapercis
    Species
    queenslandica
    Family
    Pinguipedidae
    Order
    Perciformes
    Class
    Actinopterygii
    Subphylum
    Vertebrata
    Phylum
    Chordata
    Kingdom
    Animalia
  • Size Range
    The species grows to 25 cm in length.

Introduction

The Blacktail Grubfish has a large black blotch on the caudal fin. The species occurs in tropical marine waters of Queensland and New Caledonia.

Identification

The Blacktail Grubfish can be recognised by the large black blotch on the caudal fin. The body has black spots above and a series of whitish rectangular areas on the sides of the body. There are small black spots in the centre of the white rectangles.

The species was described as new by Drs H. Imamura and T. Yoshino in 2007. It had previously been mistakenly identified as Parapercis hexophtalma, which occurs in the Indian Ocean.

Habitat

Blacktail Grubfish are usually found in shallow water on outer reef slopes and in lagoons. They are commonly seen on sand or rubble at depths between 2 m and 29 m.

Distribution

It occurs in tropical marine waters of Queensland and New Caledonia.

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



References

  1. Imamura, H. & T. Yoshino. 2007. Three new species of the Genus Parapercis from the Western Pacific, with redescription of Parapercis hexophtalma (Perciformes: Pinguipedidae). Bulletin of the National Museum Natural Sciences. Ser A (1): 81-100.