Animal Species:Common Redmouth Whalefish, Rondeletia loricata Abe & Hotta, 1963

The Common Redmouth Whalefish has a flabby scaleless body. The inside of the mouth and gill cavities are coloured red-orange.

Common Redmouth Whalefish, Rondeletia loricata

Common Redmouth Whalefish, Rondeletia loricata
Mark McGrouther © NORFANZ Founding Parties

Alternative Name/s

Redmouth Whalefish

Identification

The Common Redmouth Whalefish has a flabby scaleless body with a large head with small eyes. The lateral line is made up of a series of vertical rows of papillae. In life it is orange-brown. The inside of the mouth and gill cavities are red-orange.

Size range

The species grows to about 11 cm in length.

Distribution

In Australia it is known from scattered localities around the country, including off New South Wales, the Great Australian Bight, central Western Australia and possibly northern Queensland.

The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums.  Source: Atlas of Living Australia.

Rondeletia loricata

Distribution by collection data

Ozcam map of Redmouth Whalefish specimens in the Australian Museums.

What does this mean?

Habitat

This species occurs at bathypelagic and mesopelagic depths in tropical and temperate waters worldwide.

Classification

Species:
loricata
Genus:
Rondeletia
Family:
Rondeletiidae
Order:
Stephanoberyciformes
Class:
Actinopterygii
Subphylum:
Vertebrata
Phylum:
Chordata
Kingdom:
Animalia

What does this mean?

References

  1. Kotlyar, A.N. 1996. The osteology, intraspecific structure, and distribution of Rondeletia loricata (Rondeletiidae). Journal of Ichthyology. 36(3): 207-221.
  2. Paxton, J.R. 2008. Family Rondeletiidae. In M.F. Gomon, D.J. Bray & R. Kuiter (eds), Fishes of Australia’s South Coast. Sydney: New Holland. Pp. 413. (included a colour photo)
  3. Paxton, J.R., Hoese, D.F., Allen G.R. & J.E. Hanley. 1989. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol.7. Pisces Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Survey. Pp. i-xii, 1-665.
  4. Paxton, J.R., G.D. Johnson & T. Trnski. 2001. Larvae and juveniles of the deepsea ‘whalefishes’ Barbourisia and Rondeletia (Stephanoberyciformes: Barbourisiidae, Rondeletiidae) with comments on family relationships. Records of the Australian Museum, 53(3): 407-425.
  5. Paxton, J.R. & T. Trnski. 2003. Families Rondeletiidae. In K. Carpenter (ed.), The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Rome: FAO and American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Vol. 2: 1168-1169.


Mark McGrouther , Collection Manager, Ichthyology
Last Updated:

Tags Fishes, Ichthyology, Common Redmouth Whalefish, Rondeletia loricata, Rondeletiidae, flabby body, red-orange, Redmouth Whalefish, large head, small eyes, orange-brown, 10 cm - 30 cm, bathypelagic, mesopelagic, tropical water, temperate water,