Pentaceropsis recurvirostris
Long-snouted boarfish
Pentaceropsis recurvirostris, Kangaroo Island, SA, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Pentaceropsis recurvirostris, Adelaide, SA, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Pentaceropsis recurvirostris, Stanley, TAS, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Pentaceropsis recurvirostris, Narooma, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
Similar Species
Distribution
Temperate Australasia
Description
Only boarfish species to be regularly seen in shallow Australian waters, usually near caves or ledges. It is easily speared and entangled in gillnets, and is therefore rare near heavily fished coasts. The species has dark stripes running obliquely across the body, long venomous spines at the start of the dorsal fin, and extended dorsal, pelvic and anal fins. Juveniles have numerous dark spots over the sides of the body. The longsnout boarfish is one of very few fish species that feeds on brittle stars.
Information
Max Size: 50 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 11.3-22.6°C
Depth: 4-260m
Habitat Generalization Index: 1.69
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Not Evaluated
Occurrence: Frequent (19.7% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Solitary (1 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: GJ Edgar. 2008. Australian Marine Life. New Holland, Sydney