Taylor's Pygmy Leatherjacket, Brachaluteres taylori Woods 1966


Other Names: Pigmy Leatherjacket, Puffer Filefish, Taylor's Inflator Filefish, Taylor's Leatherjacket

Taylor's Pygmy Leatherjacket, Brachaluteres taylori, on the Gold Coast Seaway, southern Queensland, January 2013. Source: Ian Banks / iNaturalist.org. License: CC By Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:
A small yellow, green to greyish leatherjacket with many fine dark lines and rows of pale spots along the head and body. Juveniles are mostly pale yellow to pale greyish with small dark spots.

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2022, Brachaluteres taylori in Fishes of Australia, accessed 29 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/923

Taylor's Pygmy Leatherjacket, Brachaluteres taylori Woods 1966

More Info


Distribution

Torres Strait, Queensland, to off Iluka, New South Wales; also Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere the species occurs from Indonesia to Papua New Guinea and eastern Australia, north to the Philippines and east to the Marshall Islands.
Inhabits coastal reefs, sheltering amongst algae, hard and soft corals, seagrass beds, sponges and crinoids.

Features

Dorsal fin II + 27-29; Anal fin 23-27; Pectoral fin 11-13; Upper jaw teeth 3; Lower jaw teeth 2. 
Head length 2.5-3.2, body depth 1.1-1.3, snout length 4.1-4.7 and length of soft dorsal base 1.9-2.3, all in SL; eye diameter 2.5-3.0, gill slit length 5.3-6.3, first dorsal spine length 1.1-1.9, interdorsal space 1.1-1.7, longest soft dorsal ray (eighth to tenth) 3.3-3.9, and caudal fin length 0.9-1.3, all in head length; caudal peduncle rather short, length 3.5-5.2 in head length and 1.3-1.9 in caudal peduncle depth.
Body almost circular, laterally compressed; caudal fin rounded; abdomen inflatable.

Colour

Pale greyish to yellow or yellowish-green, with numerous thin dark brown lines and spots on side of head and body (lines may be straight or wavy on midsides); spots, mostly with pale blue centres, present on lower sides and near ventral profile of head; a small dark brown circular blotch present behind pectoral fin; soft dorsal and anal fins pale yellow with two rows of pale blue spots parallel to fin base; caudal fin pale yellow with many small pale blue spots forming numerous curved cross bars; first dorsal spine yellowish green; iris yellow with dark brown radiating bars.

Feeding

Omnivore

Similar Species

Differs from the Southern Pygmy Leatherjacket, Brachaluteres jacksonianus, in having a small second dorsal-fin spine, and fine dark lines along the head and body. Individual B. jacksonianus may also have wider dark stripes along the sides.

Etymology

The species is named in honor of Dr. William Randolph Taylor of the University  of Michigan, who collected the type specimen.

Species Citation

Brachaluteres taylori Woods, 1966, Bull. Natl Mus. 3(202): 97, fig. 154. Type locality: Lagoon 2 miles west of Bush Island, Rongelap Atoll, western Pacific, depth 120 feet.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2022

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Taylor's Pygmy Leatherjacket, Brachaluteres taylori Woods 1966

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., Hoese, D.F., Paxton, J.R., Randall, J.E., Russell, B.C., Starck, W.A., Talbot, F.H. & Whitley, G.P. 1976. Annotated checklist of the fishes of Lord Howe Island. Records of the Australian Museum 30(15): 365-454 figs 1-2

Francis, M. 1993. Checklist of the coastal fishes of Lord Howe, Norfolk, and Kermadec Islands, southwest Pacific Ocean. Pacific Science 47(2): 136-170 figs 1-2

Francis, M.P. 2019. Checklist of the coastal fishes of Lord Howe, Norfolk and Kermadec Islands, southwest Pacific Ocean. figshare. Collection. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4428305.v2

Grant, E.M. 1991. Fishes of Australia. Brisbane : EM Grant Pty Ltd 480 pp.

Hutchins, J.B. 2001. Monacanthidae. pp. 3929-3947 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.

Hutchins, J.B. 2002. Description of a new genus and species of miniature monacanthid fish from the Seychelles and Marshall Islands. Records of the Western Australian Museum 21: 213-219 https://doi.org/10.18195/issn.0312-3162.21(2).2002.213-219

Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1985. Revision of the monacanthid fish genus Brachaluteres. Records of the Western Australian Museum 12(1): 57-78. See ref online

Matsuura, K. 2014. Taxonomy and systematics of tetraodontiform fishes: a review focusing primarily on progress in the period 1980 to 2014. Review for IPFC9 Special Issue. Ichthyological Research 62(1): 72-113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-014-0444-5

Matsuura, K. & Motomura, H. 2016. Brachaluteres taylori. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T69922164A70010080. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T69922164A70010080.en. Downloaded on 22 September 2016.

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.
Waite, E.R. 1903. Additions to the fish-fauna of Lord Howe Island. No. 3. Records of the Australian Museum 5(1): 20-45 figs 1-2 pls 3-5 https://doi.org/10.3853/j.0067-1975.5.1903.1027

Woods, L.P. 1966. Fishes of Marshall and Marianus Islands. Vol. 3. Families from Kraemeriidae through Antennariidae. 1-176 figs 133-155 pls 124-148 in Schultz, L.P., Woods, L.P. & Lachner, E.A. Fishes of the Marshall and Marianas Islands. Vol. 3. Families Kraemeriidae through Antennariidae. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 3(202): 1-176, figs 133-156, pls 124-148 See ref at BHL

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37465049

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Depth:8-35 m

Fishing:Aquarium fish

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:5 cm SL

Species Maps

CAAB distribution map