Yellowstriped Leatherjacket, Meuschenia flavolineata (Hutchins, 1977)

ANIMAL SPECIES:Yellowstriped Leatherjacket, Meuschenia flavolineata (Hutchins, 1977)

Adult Yellowstriped Leatherjackets are black-brown to green-brown with a yellow blotch on the caudal peduncle. The species is only known from Australian waters.

Alternative Name/s

Orange-tailed Leatherjacket, Yellow-tailed Leatherjacket, Yellowtail Leatherjacket

Identification

Adult Yellowstriped Leatherjacket is black-brown to green-brown with a yellow blotch on the caudal peduncle. This blotch often extends forward along the side of the body as a yellow stripe in fish from Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. Fish from New South Wales rarely have a stripe.

There are four spines on the caudal peduncle. In males these are curved and preceded by a patch of bristles. The spines are smaller in females and juveniles.

Size range

The species grows to 30 cm in length.

Distribution

It is endemic to Australia. It is recorded from coastal reefs of the central coast of New South Wales, around the south of the country and north to the central coast of Western Australia.

Distribution by collection data

Biomaps map of Yellowstriped Leatherjacket specimens in the Australian Museum collection.

What does this mean?

Classification

Species:: flavolineata
Genus:: Meuschenia
Family:: Monacanthidae
Order:: Tetraodontiformes
Class:: Actinopterygii
Subphylum:: Vertebrata
Phylum:: Chordata
Kingdom:: Animalia

What does this mean?

References

Edgar, G.J. 1997. Australian Marine Life: the plants and animals of temperate waters. Reed Books. Pp. 544.
Hutchins, J.B. in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.

Mark McGrouther , Collection Manager, Ichthyology
Last Updated: 24 March 2011

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