Whitley's Splitfin, Luzonichthys whitleyi (Smith 1955)


Whitley's Splitfin, Luzonichthys whitleyi, at Peleliu, Palau, February 2014. Source: Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Summary:
A small slender splitfin with bright yellow on the snout, top of the head and back, lavender pink elsewhere. 

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2020, Luzonichthys whitleyi in Fishes of Australia, accessed 29 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/5026

Whitley's Splitfin, Luzonichthys whitleyi (Smith 1955)

More Info


Distribution

Recorded from Christmas Island in the Australian EEZ. Elsewhere the species occurs in the East-Indo-west-central Pacific. 
Inhabits deep reefs around atolls and offshore pinnacles, forming dense feeding schools on steep outer reef slopes at depths to 200 m. The species is extremely abundant in some parts of its range.

Features

Dorsal fin X + 16; Anal fin III, 7; Pectoral fin 21-23; Lateral-line scales 70-78; Gill rakers 7-9 + 20-23.
Body slender (depth 4.2-5.0 in SL), caudal fin forked without filamentous lobes.

Etymology

The species is named for Gilbert P. Whitley, former Curator of Fishes at the Australian Museum.

Species Citation

Naurua whitleyi, Smith, 1955, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 12 8(89): 345. Type locality: Nauru, Gilbert Islands.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2020

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Whitley's Splitfin, Luzonichthys whitleyi (Smith 1955)

References


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

Allen, G.R. & Steene, R.C. 1988. Fishes of Christmas Island Indian Ocean. Christmas Island Natural History Association, Christmas Island, Indian Ocean, 6798, Australia. 197 pp.

Allen, G.R., Steene, R.C. & Orchard, M. 2007. Fishes of Christmas Island.Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 2 edn, 284 pp.

Copus, J.M., Ka'apu-Lyons, C.A. & Pyle, R.L. 2015. Luzonichthys seaver, a new species of Anthiinae (Perciformes, Serranidae) from Pohnpei, Micronesia. Biodiversity Data Journal 3: 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.3.e4902

Heemstra, P.C. & Randall, J.E. 1999. Family Serranidae. pp. 2442-2548 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. 4 2069-2790 pp.

Hobbs, J-P.A., Newman, S.J., Mitsopoulos, G.E.A., Travers, M.J., Skepper, C.L., Gilligan, J.J., Allen, G.R., Choat, H.J. & Ayling, A.M. 2014. Checklist and new records of Christmas Island fishes: the influence of isolation, biogeography and habitat availability on species abundance and community composition. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 30: 184–202

Kuiter, R.H. 2004. Basslets, Hamlets and their relatives. A comprehensive guide to selected Serranidae and Plesiopidae. Chorleywood, UK : TMC Publishing 1, 216 pp.

Myers, R.F. 1999. Micronesian Reef Fishes. A comprehensive guide to the coral reef fishes of Micronesia. Guam : Coral Graphics vi 330 pp. 192 pls.

Randall, J.E. 2005. Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press 707 pp.

Randall, J.E. & McCosker, J.E. 1992. Revision of the fish genus Luzonichthys (Perciformes: Serranidae: Anthiinae), with descriptions of two new species. Indo-Pacific Fishes 21: 1-21 pls I-II

Senou, H. & Morishita, O. 2003. New record of an anthiine fish Luzonichthys whitleyi from Japan. I. O. P. Diving News 14(8): 2-4. [In Japanese, English abstract.]

Smith, J.L.B. 1955. The fishes of the family Anthiidae of the western Indian Ocean. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 12 8(89): 337-350 https://doi.org/10.1080/00222935508655649

Whitley, G.P. & Colefax, A.N. 1938. Fishes from Nauru, Gilbert Islands, Oceania. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 63(3-4): 282-304 (as Naurua waitei) See ref at BHL

Williams, J.T., Carpenter, K.E., Lawrence, A. & Myers, R. 2016. Luzonichthys whitleyi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T69586372A69592382. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T69586372A69592382.en. Downloaded on 26 November 2020.

Quick Facts


Biology:Hermaphrodite

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Fishing:Aquarium fish

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:5.8 cm TL

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Species Maps

CAAB distribution map