PORT PHILLIP BAY


Luderick 

Girella tricuspidata (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Meristics.
Dorsal fin spines/rays: XIV-XVI, 11-12
Anal fin spines/rays: III, 11-12
Caudal fin rays: 17
Pectoral fin rays: 16
Ventral fin spines/rays: I, 5
Lateral line: 48-51

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.
A diverse group of moderately deep-bodied oval fishes with short heads, blunt snouts, a continuous long-based dorsal fin, a concave to forked tail, pelvic fins arising behind the pectoral-fin base and small rough scales. Most are omnivores and often occur in large schools.

Taxonomy

Phylum:
Chordata
Subphylum:
Craniata
Superclass:
Gnathostomata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Perciformes
Family:
Kyphosidae
Subfamily:
Girellinae
Genus:
Girella
Species:
tricuspidata

General Description

Body deep, oval, compressed; head short, mouth small; scales small. Silvery grey, darker above, with about 11 narrow vertical lines on each side, often faint. To 62 cm.

Biology

These fishes form large schools in rocky areas where they graze on algae and encrusting invertebrates.

Habitat

In shallow bays, estuaries and along the coast, around reefs and beneath jetties, in depths of 0-20 m; juveniles in seagrass beds.

Reefs

Distribution guide

South-eastern Australia.

Species Group

Fishes › Sweeps and allies

Depth

Shore (0-1 m)

Water Column

On or near sea floor Midwater

Max Size

62 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, Luderick, Girella tricuspidata, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 30 Apr 2025, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/6389

Text: creative commons cc by licence