Blue Scissortail, Assessor macneilli Whitley, 1935
Scientific name: Assessor macneilli
Click to enlarge image
A Blue Scissortail at a depth of 5.5 m, south-west of Murray Island, Queensland, 6 December 2105. The Blue Scissortail is nearly always found in caves and is usually seen upside down. It often occurs with the Yellow Scissortail, Assessor flavissimus.
Image: Andrew Green
© Andrew Green
© Andrew Green
Fast Facts
-
Classification
- Genus
- Assessor
- Species
- macneilli
- Family
- Plesiopidae
- Order
- Perciformes
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Subphylum
- Vertebrata
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Kingdom
- Animalia
-
- Size Range
- It grows to 6 cm in length.
Introduction
The Blue Scissortail is a small fish that divers see most commonly in caves.
Identification
The species is dark blue with light blue margins on all fins except the pectorals.
Distribution
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.
Distribution data sourced from the Atlas of Living Australia
References
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
