Potbelly Leatherjacket, Pseudomonacanthus peroni (Hollard, 1854)

Scientific name: Pseudomonacanthus peroni
Alternative name/s:
Brown-spotted Leather-jacket, Pot-bellied Leatherjacket
  • Author(s)
    Mark McGrouther, Sascha Schulz
  • Updated
    19/04/21
  • Read time
    2 minutes
Potbelly Leatherjacket, <i>Pseudomonacanthus peroni</i> Click to enlarge image
A Potbelly Leatherjacket, Pseudomonacanthus peroni, at a depth of 18m, Bundaberg Artificial Reef, Queensland, August 2004. Image: Dave Harasti
© Dave Harasti

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Genus
    Pseudomonacanthus
    Species
    peroni
    Family
    Monacanthidae
    Order
    Tetraodontiformes
    Class
    Actinopterygii
    Subphylum
    Vertebrata
    Phylum
    Chordata
    Kingdom
    Animalia
  • Size Range
    The species grows to 40 cm in length.

Introduction

The Potbelly Leatherjacket is a large leatherjacket that usually lives in deeper waters although it is occasionally seen by divers.

Identification

The Potbelly Leatherjacket is pale brown to greenish brown with many darker spots and blotches on its body. The spots become more numerous and relatively smaller with increasing body length.

It has a convex snout profile and a long caudal fin, although this becomes relatively shorter in very large individuals. Its belly flap can be enlarged downwards, making the fish appear much deeper in the body than it really is (hence the common name). Males have a row of two or three enlarged scale spines on the lower half of the caudal peduncle.

Potbelly Leatherjacket, Pseudomonacanthus peroni
Potbelly Leatherjacket, Pseudomonacanthus peroni
Male Potbelly Leatherjacket, Pseudomonacanthus peroni

Distribution

The Potbelly Leatherjacket occurs in tropical marine waters of Australia and Papua New Guinea. It is usually found on trawling grounds but sometimes photographed near coastal reefs.

In Australia it is known from the central coast of Western Australia, around the tropical north of the country and down the east coast to northern New South Wales. The fish from Julian Rocks (see images on right) are the most southerly known occurrences of this species. It had previously been recorded in published literature as far south as southern Queensland.

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

  1. Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
  2. Allen, G.R. & R. Swainston. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 201.
  3. 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.
  4. Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.