Animal Species:Venus Tuskfish, Choerodon venustus (De Vis, 1884)

The Venus Tuskfish is a moderately deep bodied fish that is endemic to Australian waters.

Venus Tuskfish, Choerodon venustus

Venus Tuskfish, Choerodon venustus
Justin McKenzie © Justin McKenzie

Identification

The Venus Tuskfish is a moderately deep bodied fish with two pairs of canines in the front of the lower jaw. The caudal fin is emarginate.  The colouration of this species is variable. It is often greenish or brownish above, fading to yellowish below. The sides are often reddish, especially around the pectoral fin. Adults have blue spots on the body scales.

Size range

The Venus Tuskfish grows to 65 cm in length.

Distribution

The species is found in subtropical marine waters from southern Queensland to the central coast of New South Wales. It is endemic to Australia.

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.

Choerodon venustus

Distribution by collection data

Ozcam map of Venus Tuskfish specimens in the Australian Museum.

What does this mean?

Classification

Species:
venustus
Genus:
Choerodon
Family:
Labridae
Order:
Perciformes
Class:
Actinopterygii
Subphylum:
Vertebrata
Phylum:
Chordata
Kingdom:
Animalia

What does this mean?

References

  1. Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
  2. Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
  3. Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.


Mark McGrouther , Collection Manager, Ichthyology
Last Updated:

Tags fishes, ichthyology, Venus Tuskfish, Choerodon venustus, Labridae, green, brown, yellow, pink, red, blue, 'normal fish', 30 cm - 1 m, countershaded, stripes or bands, subtropical, marine, adult,