Parapercis queenslandica
Blacktail Grubfish
©Richard Ling
©Eric Johnson, NOAA Photo Library on Flickr
©David Witherall and Joyce Nobles
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Actinopterygii
Order
Perciformes
Family
Pinguipedidae
Genus
Parapercis
Species
Parapercis queenslandica
Colours
Distinguishing features
A small to medium sized and elongate bottom dwelling fish with a whitish-grey body, and a series of fine dark brown lines and blotches running along the flank. The black blotch in the tail is a diagnostic feature.
Size
- Up to 29 cm (Standard length)
Depth range
- Depth range data is not yet available.
Synonyms
Similar taxa
-
Animalia:
Blacktail Grubfish (species: Parapercis hexophtalma)
This similar species is restricted to the Indian Ocean.
Comments
by Anne Hoggett
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Distribution and habitat preferences
Areas of sand, rubble and seagrass adjacent to coral reef areas, most common in sheltered lagoonal habitats.
Behaviour
The Blacktail Grubfish is a benthic carnivore, taking crustaceans, worms and other invertebrates from the rubble areas that it inhabits. This species is a haremic protogynous hermaphrodite. Males maintain a harem of 2-10 females and mating occurs daily throughout the year, just before dark. Females have territories which they defend from other females, whereas the male territory encompasses all of the females in the harem.
Web resources
References
- Caley, M.J. (1995). Community dynamics of tropical reef fishes: local patterns between latitudes, Marine Ecology Progress Series, 129: 7-18. LIRS catalog number 447.
- Caley, M.J. (1995). Reef fish community structure and dynamics: in interaction between local and larger-scale processes? Marine Ecology Progress Series, 129: 19-29. LIRS catalog number 448.
- Imamura, H. and K. Matsuura (2003). Redefinition and phylogenetic relationships of the family Pinguipedidae (Teleostei: Perciformes), Ichthyological Research, 50: 259-269. LIRS catalog number 90077.
- View all references