PORT PHILLIP BAY


Short Boarfish 

Parazanclistius hutchinsi Hardy, 1983

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Meristics.
Dorsal fin spines/rays: VI, 25-27
Anal fin spines/rays: III-IV, 13-14
Caudal fin rays: 17
Pectoral fin rays: 16-18
Ventral fin spines/rays: I, 5
Lateral line: 66-72

Interpreting fin count meristics.
Spines are in Roman numerals and soft rays are in Arabic numerals. Spines and rays that are continuous in one fin are separated by a comma. Fin sections are separated by semicolons.

Detailed descriptions of fin count and other meristics are in:
Gomon. M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds) (2008) Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.

Order level detail.
A large and highly diverse group of modern bony fishes many of which have a generalized perch like body form. Most have pelvic fins with one spine and 5 rays and the maxillary bone is excluded from the gape of the mouth. Interrelationships of the group are poorly understood and continue to be studied. They inhabit almost all aquatic habitats from high-altitude strams to the deep sea, although most are marine.

Family level detail.
Body compressed, often deep, most species with the head almost completely encased in exposed striated bones and very long snout in some. Dorsal fin long-based, continuous, often tall, with a spinous and soft-rayed portion, pectoral fins prominent, upper rays much longer than lower, pelvic fins large with a strong spine. The fin spines are venomous in some or all species.

Taxonomy

Phylum:
Chordata
Subphylum:
Craniata
Superclass:
Gnathostomata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Perciformes
Family:
Pentacerotidae
Genus:
Parazanclistius
Species:
hutchinsi

General Description

Body deep, strongly compressed, dorsal profile steeply concave; dorsal fin continuous, soft dorsal fin-base much longer than spinous dorsal-fin base, fin-tips often reaching beyond tail. Pelvic and pectoral fins large, pelvic-fin base in front of pectoral fin base. Pale greenish-brown, with a prominent black ocellus on rear of dorsal fin, sides of body darker behind pectoral fin base, a dark marking running from the front of the head below the eyes almost to the corner of the mouth, pelvic fins dark. May be confused with the widespread Blackspot Boarfish, Zanclistius elevates, which has a dark blotch on the rear of the dorsal fin rather than an ocellus and pelvic fin bases inserted behind the pectoral fin bases. To 34 cm.

Biology

This boarfish is sometimes taken as incidental bycatch in commercial trawls.

Habitat

Temperate waters, in depths of 5-80 m.

Reefs

Distribution guide

Southern Australia, including western and central Victoria.

Species Group

Fishes › Boarfish and allies

Depth

Shallow (1-30 m)
Deep ( > 30 m)

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

34 cm

Commercial Species

Yes

Global Dispersal

Native to Australia

Conservation Status

  • DSE Advisory List : Not listed
  • EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
  • IUCN Red List : Not listed

Author

article author Bray, D.J.

Di Bray is a Senior Collection Manager of ichthyology at Museum Victoria.

Author

article author Gomon, M.F.

Dr. Martin Gomon is a Senior Curator of ichthyology at Museum Victoria.

citation

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. & Gomon, M.F., 2011, Short Boarfish, Parazanclistius hutchinsi, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 25 Feb 2025, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/6441

Text: creative commons cc by licence