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Red morwong

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Red morwong
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Cheilodactylidae
Genus: Cheilodactylus
Subgenus: Morwong
Species:
C. fuscus
Binomial name
Cheilodactylus fuscus
Castelnau, 1879
Synonyms[1]
  • Morwong fuscus (Castelnau, 1879)
  • Goniistius fuscus (Castelnau, 1879)
  • Cheilodactylus annularis Castelnau, 1879

The red morwong (Cheilodactylus (Morwong) fuscus), also known as the sea carp, is a species of marine ray finned fish traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. It is found off southeast Australia and the North Island of New Zealand from shallow depths to at least 55 m, on rocky reef and coastal areas.[2] Its length is between 30 and 60 cm.

Taxonomy

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The red morwong was first formally described in 1879 by the French naturalist Francis de La Porte Castelnau with the type locality given as Sydney market.[3] The Australian ichthyologist Gilbert Percy Whitley created the genus Morwong this species was its only member and so was the type species of the genus by monotypy.[4] The specific name fuscus means “dusky”, thought to be the colour of specimens preserved in spirit.[5]

The true taxonomic relationships of the taxa traditionally classified under the family Cheilodactylidae have been considered uncertain and to have been poorly supported by some authorities over a long period of time.[6] Genetic and morphological analyses now strongly suggest that the traditional classification of Cheilodactylus is incorrect and that the inclusion of the species other than the two southern African species in Cheilodactylus, C. fasciatus and C. pixi, make the genus Cheilodactylus sensu lato paraphyletic and that all the other “morwongs” were closer to the Latridae.[7] In these analyses the Red Morwong and the painted moki (C. (M.) ephippium) were found to be sister species and were placed within the clade Morwong.[8][9]

Description

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A juvenile Red Morwong, Morwong fuscus, at Red Rock Estuary, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales

The red morwong has a relatively short and deep and compressed body, its depth being 39-45% of its standard length. It has a moderately sized head and a steeply sloped back. There are two pairs of bony protuberances in the adults, a pair on tip of snout immediately above upper lip and a second pair to the front of eyes. It has quite small eyes and a small mouth which does not extend as far back as the eyes. The lips are thick and fleshy and there is a wide band small, pointed tee at the front of each jaw, tapering to a single row at the sides. The low dorsal fin is continuous with long base, originating above the rear margin of the preoperculum. It contains 17 spines and 30-34 soft rays. There only a slight notch between spiny and soft rayed parts, The soft rayed part is uniform in height, the soft rays being a little taller than the rearmost spine. The anal fin is triangular in shape with a short base and its centre is underneath the soft rayed part of the dorsal fin. The anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The caudal fin is forked, both lobes having rounded tips. The pectoral fin is of moderate size, the upper rays are branched while the lower rays simple and robust, the highest 2-3of the simple rays are extended and extend to just past the origin of anal fin. The pelvic fins are small, and are placed noticeably lower and to the rear of the origin of the pectoral-fin.[10] This species attains a maximum total length of 65 cm (26 in).[1] This fish is reddish-brown dorsally with a light coloured cheek and abdomen. There are white bars in front of and on the shallow caudal peduncle and on the caudal fin. The eyes have white marking on the space between them and above each eye.[11] The pectoral fin bases have dark spots while the fins themselves are pale pink and the other fins are light in colour with pale with wide dark margins and a thin white outer edge. Individuals fade to completely light coloured with around 7 to 8 dark blotches or bars along the middle of the flanks.[10] The juveniles are pale with clear bands.[11]

Distribution and habitat

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The red morwong is found only in the south western Pacific Ocean. In Australia its range extends from Bundaberg in Queensland south as far as Mallacoota in Victoria, it may even reach as far west in Victoria as Cape Conran. It is also found at Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea.[10] In addition it is found in the north est of the North Island of New Zealand.[1] The adults are typically seen in schools on rocky reefs at depths down to approximately 30 m (98 ft). The juveniles can be found on reefs cloaked in algae.[12]

Biology

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The red morwong is wholly carnivorous and it preys on benthic invertebrates such as polychaetes, brachyurans, amphipods, gastropods and bivalves all year. However, the relative proportions of prey types consumed are very variable from season to season.[13] They have a patchy distribution within their rock reef habitats with the fishes forming aggregations of 3 to 100 fish. Within these aggregations each fish will have a home range over which it forages, and it will return to that home range if caught and released nearby. The aggregations disperse at night as the individual fishes seek shelter within the reef. Peak activity occurs at dawn and dusk for this crepuscular species. The aggregations are larger in the non-breeding season.[14] The red morwong shows some sexual dimorphism, with males having larger protuberances on the head compared to females.[15]

Fisheries

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Red morwong are taken by spearfishers but they are territorial and slow growing and could be easily overfished.[16]

As at 2021, the catch limit in New South Wales is five red morwong per person per day, each having minimum length 30 cm;[17] and in Victoria, the limit is a combined total 5 of any "morwong" species,[18] with a minimum length of 23 cm.[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Morwong fuscus". FishBase. June 2021 version.
  2. ^ Fetterplace, Lachlan C.; Turnbull, John W.; Knott, Nathan A.; Hardy, Natasha A. (28 August 2018). "Natural History Report. The Devil in the Deep: Expanding the Known Habitat of a Rare and Protected Fish". European Journal of Ecology. 4 (1): 22–29. doi:10.2478/eje-2018-0003.
  3. ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Morwong". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  4. ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Latridae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  5. ^ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (25 February 2021). "Order Centrarchiformes: Families Centrarchidae, Elassomatidae, Eoplosidae, Sinipercidae, Aplodactylidae, Cheilodactylidae, Chironemidae, Cirrhitidae, Latridae, Percichthydiae, Dichistitidae, Girellidae, Kuhliidae, Kyphosidae, Oplegnathidae, Terapontidae, Microcanthidae, and Scorpididae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  6. ^ J.E. Randall (2001). "CHEILODACTYLIDAE". In Carpenter, K.E. and Niem, V.H. (eds.). FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 5. Bony fishes part 3 (Menidae to Pomacentridae) (PDF). FAO Rome. p. 3329.
  7. ^ Ludt, W.B.; Burridge, C.P. & Chakrabarty, P. (2019). "A taxonomic revision of Cheilodactylidae and Latridae (Centrarchiformes: Cirrhitoidei) using morphological and genomic characters". Zootaxa. 585 (1): 121. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4585.1.7. PMID 31716185. S2CID 145985739.
  8. ^ C. P. Burridge and R.W.G. White (2000). "Molecular phylogeny of the antitropical subgenus Goniistius (Perciformes: Cheilodactylidae: Cheilodactylus): evidence for multiple transequatorial divergences and non-monophyly". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 70 (3): 435–458. doi:10.1006/bijl.1999.0413.
  9. ^ Christopher P. Burridge and Adam J. Smolenski (2004). "Molecular phylogeny of the Cheilodactylidae and Latridae (Perciformes: Cirrhitoidea) with notes on taxonomy and biogeography". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 30 (1): 118–127. doi:10.1016/S1055-7903(03)00157-X. PMID 15022763.
  10. ^ a b c Bray, D.J. (2021). "Morwong fuscus". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Cheilodactylus fuscus". Reef Life Survey. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  12. ^ Mark McGrouther (20 April 2021). "Red Morwong, Cheilodactylus fuscus (Castelnau, 1879)". Australian Museum. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  13. ^ Johann D. Bell (1979). "Observations on the Diet of Red Morwong, Cheilodactylus fuscus Castelnau (Pisces : Cheilodactylidae)". Marine and Freshwater Research. 30 (1): 129. doi:10.1071/MF9790129.
  14. ^ M. B. Lowry & I. M. Suthers (1996). "Home range, activity and distribution patterns of a temperate rocky-reefish, Cheilodactylus fuscus". Marine Biology. 132 (4): 569–578. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.712.4500. doi:10.1007/s002270050422. S2CID 40169453.
  15. ^ A. Schroeder; M. Lowry; I. Suthers (1994). "Sexual Dimorphism in the Red Morwong, Cheilodactylus fuscus". Marine and Freshwater Research. 45 (7): 1173–1180. doi:10.1071/MF9941173.
  16. ^ "Morwong, red". Underwater Skindivers and Fishermen's Association. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  17. ^ NSW Department of Primary Industries (2020). "Saltwater bag and size limits". DPI NSW. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  18. ^ Including, explicitly banded and dusky morwong.
  19. ^ Victorian Fisheries Authority (12 May 2020). "Morwong (all species)". VFA. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  • Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8
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