Orangebanded Gurnard Perch, Neosebastes occidentalis Motomura, 2004
Introduction
The Orangebanded Gurnard Perch is a rare species and occurs in a very limited geographic region, off the central coast of Western Australia. It is known from only 19 specimens.
Identification
The Orangebanded Gurnard Perch has a whitish to yellowish body. The caudal fin has several irregular vertical bands.
The species is very similar to an East Asian endemic species, N. entaxis, in overall appearance. The Orangebanded Gurnard Perch can be distinguished by its upper opercular spine, which is usually divided into 2 points and its extremely deep mid-interorbital space. The species can be distinguished from other members of Neosebastes occurring in Australian waters by the following combination of characters: no black spots on the sides of the body; underside of mandible with numerous tiny pores; and 50 to 56 scale rows in longitudinal series.
Habitat
The species is usually found at depths between 100 m and 200 m
Distribution
The species is endemic to 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.
References
- Motomura, H. 2004. Revision of the scorpionfish genus Neosebastes (Scorpaeniformes: Neosebastidae), with descriptions of five new species. Indo-Pacific Fishes. 37: 1-76, pl. 1-2.
- Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & G.R. Allen. 2006. Fishes. In Beesley, P.L. & A. Wells. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Volume 35. ABRS & CSIRO Publishing: Australia. parts 1-3, pages 1-2178.