Southern Spotted Opah, Lampris australensis Underkoffler, Luers, Hyde & Craig 2018
Scientific name: Lampris australensis
Alternative name/s:
The species has also been called Spotted Moonfish and Opal Fish.
The species has also been called Spotted Moonfish and Opal Fish.
Click to enlarge image
An 87 cm long Southern Spotted Opah in the Australian Museum Fish Collection (AMS I.24492-001). It was collected on a tuna long line off Ulladulla, New South Wales in March 1984. The upper lobe of its caudal (tail) fin is missing.
Image: Ken Graham
© DPI Fisheries
© DPI Fisheries
Fast Facts
-
Classification
- Genus
- Lampris
- Species
- australensis
- Family
- Lampridae
- Order
- Lampridiformes
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Subphylum
- Vertebrata
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Kingdom
- Animalia
-
- Size Range
- Opahs grow to over 1.5 m in length and can weigh over 70 kg.
Introduction
The Southern Spotted Opah is a distictively shaped fish that lives in southern hemisphere waters.
Identification
The Opah is a deep-bodied, compressed fish. It is deep blue on the back grading to a lighter blue or silver on the belly. The body is covered with roughly circlar white spots (about the size of the pupil) and the fins are a vibrant red.
Distribution
The species has a southern hemisphere distribution.
Feeding and diet
Dietary items include fishes and squids.
References
- Underkoffler, K. et al, 2018. A taxonomic review of Lampris guttatus (Brünnich 1788) (Lampridiformes; Lampridae) with descriptions of three new species Zootaxa 4413 (3): 551-565.
