Masked Threefin, Enneapterygius fuligicauda Fowler 1946
Other Names: Black-and-Red Triplefin, Blacktail Triplefin
A male Masked Threefin, Enneapterygius similis, at North West Solitary Island, New South Wales, January 2013. Source: Ian Shaw / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial
Summary:
Males are red anteriorly and dark posteriorly including the third dorsal fin, rear of the anal fin and caudal fin, with a dark mask on the lower part of the head, dense spotting on the cheek, chest and pectoral-fin base, and a white vertically-elongate triangular bar on the body behind the second and third dorsal fins.
This species was previously known as Enneapterygius similis.
This species was previously known as Enneapterygius similis.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2025, Enneapterygius fuligicauda in Fishes of Australia, accessed 27 Jun 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/1123
Masked Threefin, Enneapterygius fuligicauda Fowler 1946
More Info
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Distribution |
MacGillivray Reef, Queensland, to at least Cabbage Tree Bay, Manly, New South Wales. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical, west Pacific. Inhabits coral and rocky reefs, surge channels or vertical encrusted rocky walls, also tide pools in depths to 13 m - usually in areas with abundant algal growth and some surge. |
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Colour |
Males are reddish anteriorly, dark posteriorly, with dense spotting on the cheek, chest and pectoral-fin base, and a white vertically-elongate triangular bar on the body behind the second and third dorsal fins. |
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Etymology |
The specific name is from the Latin similis, in reference to the coloration and general habits, which are “very similar” to those of the widespread Enneapterygius hemimelas. |
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Species Citation |
Enneapterygius fuligicauda Fowler 1946, Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 98: 188, Fig. 52. Type loclaity: Aguni Shima, Ryukyu Islands, Japan. |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2025 |
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Resources |
Masked Threefin, Enneapterygius fuligicauda Fowler 1946
References
Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp. (as Enneapterygius similis)
Dewa, Y., Tashiro, S. & Motomura, H. 2023. A new species of the genus Enneapterygius (Perciformes: Tripterygiidae) from Japan and the Philippines, with a synopsis and synonymy of related species. Zootaxa 5374(3): 333-360. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5374.3.2
Fricke, R. 1994. Tripterygiid fishes of Australia, New Zealand and the Southwest Pacific Ocean, with descriptions of 2 new genera and 16 species (Teleostei). Theses Zoologicae 24: 1-585 (as Enneapterygius hemimelas)
Fricke, R. 1997. Tripterygiid fishes of the western and central Pacific, with descriptions of 15 new species, including an annotated checklist of world Tripterygiidae (Teleostei). Theses Zoologicae 29: 1-607. (as Enneapterygius similis)
Fricke, R. 2002. Tripterygiid fishes of New Caledonia, with zoogeographical remarks. Environmental Biology of Fishes 65(2): 175-198. (as Enneapterygius similis)
Johnson, J.W. 2010. Fishes of the Moreton Bay Marine Park and adjacent continental shelf waters, Queensland, Australia. pp. 299-353 in Davie, P.J.F. & Phillips, J.A. Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Marine Biological Workshop, The Marine Fauna and Flora of Moreton Bay. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 54(3) (as Enneapterygius similis)
Randall, J.E., 2005. Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 720 pp.
Williams, J. 2014. Enneapterygius similis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T178915A1547267. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T178915A1547267.en. Accessed on 05 April 2023. (as Enneapterygius similis)
