Redstripe Tuskfish, Choerodon vitta Ogilby 1910


Other Names: Black-stripe Tuskfish, Red Stripe Tuskfish, Red-spot Tuskfish, Striped Tusk-fish

Redstripe Tuskfish, Choerodon vitta. Source: Australian National Fish Collection, CSIRO. License: CC BY Attribution-Noncommercial

Summary:
A brown to greyish tuskfish becoming white below, with a dark reddish to brown mid-lateral stripe, usually followed by prominent darker spot on the caudal-fin base.

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2017, Choerodon vitta in Fishes of Australia, accessed 29 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/2967

Redstripe Tuskfish, Choerodon vitta Ogilby 1910

More Info


Distribution

Exmouth Gulf, Western Australia, to the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland. Elsewhere the species occurs in the Aru Islands of southeastern Indonesia.
Inhabits open sandy and rubble areas adjacent coastal reefs at depths of 4–75 m.

Features

Dorsal fin XIII, 7; Anal fin III, 10; Pectoral fin ii, 14, rarely 15, dorsal-most ray of moderate length 25.5–41.7% pectoral fin length, ventral-most rays shorter than those above, posterior edge of fin obliquely straight, dorsoposterior corner bluntly pointed, posteroventral corner angular. 
Body moderately deep, 29.8–39.6%SL, head depth 22.2–31.8% SL, caudal peduncle depth 12.0–14.9% SL; head broadly pointed, dorsal profile of snout oblique, snout length 10.9–15.3% SL. 
Predorsal scales approximately 12–15, reaching forward on dorsal midline to or almost to above middle of eye; cheek with small partially embedded scales in about 8 diagonal rows, posteriormost with about 12 or 13 scales to upper extent of free preopercular edge, reaching forward almost to corner of upper lip crease above mouth, with broad naked margin posteriorly and ventrally on preopercle; about 2 rows of 10–12 small scales (2–4 scales in second row dorsally) on subopercle adjacent preopercular edge extending forward nearly to anterior end of ventral preopercular margin; each lateral line scale with mutlple branching laterosensory canal tube;scales above lateral line about 4 or 5; few cephalic sensory canal pores confined to lines or short branches associated with major canals; second pair of canines in lower jaw directed dorsolaterally and curved posteriorly.
Dorsal and anal fins with very low basal sheath comprising 1 or 2 slightly smaller accessory scales at deepest; posterior lobe of dorsal and anal fins not reaching hypural crease; caudal fin double emarginate, upper and lower corners rounded, posterior margin of fin concave, smoothly curved; pelvic fin reaching to or just short of anus, length 20.4–25.0% SL.

Colour

Juveniles are whitish with a greyish back and a black midlateral stripe. Adults are greyish above, becoming white below with a broad dark-edged reddish-brown stripe along the midside from below the eye ending in a black elongate oval spot on the caudal fin base. The head is greenish-grey above with yellow on the cheeks and behind the eye, with 2–4 silvery blue lines on the cheek and preorbital. The dorsal and caudal fins are grey, and the anal fin is white.

Etymology

The specific name vitta is Latin for “ribbon” or “stripe”, in reference to the characteristic dark mid-lateral stripe along the side of this species.

Species Citation

Choerodon vitta Ogilby 1910, Proc. Roy. Soc. Qld 23(1): 13. Type locality: Dobo, Aru Islands (Indonesia).

Author

Bray, D.J. 2017

Resources

Australian Faunal Directory

Redstripe Tuskfish, Choerodon vitta Ogilby 1910

References


Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls. 

Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp. 

Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls. 

Cabanban, A., Pollard, D., Choat, J.H. & Russell, B. 2010. Choerodon vitta. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T187400A8525979. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T187400A8525979.en. Downloaded on 11 September 2017.

Gloerfelt-Tarp, T. & Kailola, P.J. 1984. Trawled Fishes of Southern Indonesia and Northwest Australia. Jakarta : Dir. Gen. Fish. (Indonesia), German Tech. Coop., Aust. Dev. Ass. Bur. 406 pp. 

Gomon, M.F. 2017. A review of the tuskfishes, genus Choerodon (Labridae, Perciformes), with descriptions of three new species. Memoirs of Museum Victoria 76: 1-111 DOI: http://doi.org/10.24199/j.mmv.2017.76.01  Open access

Hutchins, J.B. 2001. Biodiversity of shallow reef fish assemblages in Western Australia using a rapid censusing technique. Records of the Western Australian Museum 20: 247-270. 

Hutchins, J.B. 2003. Checklist of marine fishes of the Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia. pp. 453-478 in Wells, F.E., Walker, D.I., & Jones, D.S. (eds). Proceedings of the Eleventh International Marine Biological Workshop: The Marine Flora and Fauna of Dampier, Western Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum. 

Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp. 

Kuiter, R.H. 2010. Labridae fishes: wrasses. Seaford, Victoria, Australia : Aquatic Photographics pp. 398. 

Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P. 2013. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa 3696(1): 1-293 

Larson, H.K. & Williams, R.S. 1997. Darwin Harbour fishes: a survey and annotated checklist. pp. 339-380 in Hanley, H.R., Caswell, G., Megirian, D. & Larson, H.K. (eds). The Marine Flora and Fauna of Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory, Australia. Proceedings of the Sixth International Marine Biology Workshop. Darwin : Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory 466 pp. 

Marshall, T.C. 1964. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coastal Waters of Queensland. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 566 pp. 136 pls. 

Ogilby, J.D. 1910. On new or insufficiently described fishes. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 23(1): 1-55.

Puckridge, M., P.R. Last & N. Andreakis. 2015. The role of peripheral endemism and habitat associations in the evolution of the Indo-West Pacific tuskfishes (Labridae:Choerodon). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 84: 64-72. Abstract

Sainsbury, K.J., Kailola, P.J. & Leyland, G.G. 1984. Continental Shelf Fishes of Northern and North-Western Australia. Canberra : Fisheries Information Service 375 pp. figs & pls. 

Westneat, M.W. 2001. Labridae. pp. 3381-3467 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 6 pp. 3381-4218. 

Whitley, G.P. 1932. Studies in Ichthyology No. 6. Records of the Australian Museum 18(6): 321-348 figs 1-3 pls 36-39

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37384006

Biology:Hermaphrodite

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Depth:4-75 m

Habitat:Reef associated, sand/rubble areas

Max Size:20 cm TL

Species Image Gallery

Species Maps

CAAB distribution map