Goatee Velvetfish, Pseudopataecus carnatobarbatus Johnson 2012

A Goatee Velvetfish, Pseudopataecus carnatobarbatus, on Montgomery Reef, off The Kimberley, north Western Australia, October 2009. Source: Sue Morrison / Western Australian Museum. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Summary:

A mottled greenish to brownish, pink, red or orange velvetfish often covered in thick mucous, with irregular short whitish lines radiating from the eye, a goatee-like beard of fleshy cirri around the lower chin, and fins with a pale margin.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2020, Pseudopataecus carnatobarbatus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 20 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/4777

Goatee Velvetfish, Pseudopataecus carnatobarbatus Johnson 2012

More Info

Distribution	Endemic to north Western Australia, from Exmouth Gulf to Adele Island off The Kimberley.The Goatee Velvetfish experiences extremely an extreme tidal range, with up to 11 m differences between high and low tides, especially during spring tides. Inhabits broad shallow rocky tide pools with dead coral heads, overhangs and crevices, with shell and coral rubble; often shelters among thick stands of brown macroalgae, especially Padina and Sargassum species, at depths to 13 m.
Features	Dorsal fin XIII-XIV, 13i-14i; Anal fin I, 9i-11i; Pectoral fin 11-12; Pelvic fin I, 3; Gill rakers 0-4 + 5-8 (=6-11 total); Lateral-line tubes 13-17; Vertebrae, including urostyle 31-32. Dorsal-, anal-, pectoral-, first two pelvic- and most caudal-fin rays branched near their tips, except in juveniles; last soft dorsal-fin ray joined for most of its length by a membrane to the proximal third of upper caudal-fin ray; spinous dorsal fin strongly notched between 3rd and 8th spines; pelvic fins relatively robust, with third or innermost ray subequal in length to second ray; smooth anterior face of lower lip, a single row of small unbranched cirri along its upper margin; forehead with a narrow quadrangular pit, bounded by frontal, supraorbital, ocular and preocular ridges.
Size	9.7 cm SL
Colour	Widely variable in colour, and a master of camouflage.
Similar Species	Pseudopataecus carnatobarbatus differs from Pseudopataecus taenianotus in having branched (versus simple) tips on most fin rays, the last soft dorsal-fin ray joined by a membrane more fully to the upper caudal-fin ray, the spinous dorsal fin being more distinctly notched, more robust pelvic fins, the anterior face of the lower lip smooth (vs. profusely covered with cirri), and a narrow quadrangular pit on the forehead, bounded by frontal, supraorbital, ocular and preocular ridges (vs. pit and preocular ridge absent). P. carnatobarbatus also has modally fewer anal-fin rays and modally greater numbers of gill rakers (Johnson 2012).
Etymology	The specific name carnatobarbatus is from the Latin carnatio (= fleshy) and barbatus (= bearded), in reference to the goatee-like beard of fleshy cirri around the lower chin of the Goatee Velvetfish.
Species Citation	Pseudopataecus carnatobarbatus Johnson, 2012, Zootaxa 3245: 55, Figs. 1A-C, 2A-B. Type locality: Adele Island, reef platform at head of Fraser channel, 15°29.474'S, 123°09.798'E, Kimberley coast, Western Australia, depth 0-1 m.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2020
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Goatee Velvetfish, Pseudopataecus carnatobarbatus Johnson 2012

References

Johnson, J.W. 2012. Pseudopataecus carnatobarbatus, a new species of velvetfish (Teleostei: Scorpaeniformes: Aploactinidae) from the Kimberley coast of Western Australia. Zootaxa 3245: 54–62. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3245.1.3