Coelorinchus australis (Richardson 1839)

The Southern Whiptail is endemic to temperate Australian waters. The species is benthopelagic on the continental shelf and upper slope at depths between 80-900 metres, usually between 80-300 metres

D II, 9-11; P 14-19; V 7; GR 7-9; PC 31-34.
Snout short, bluntly pointed, tipped with small blunt tubercle, fully scaled behind leading edge, antero-lateral margin incompletely supported by bone; eye large, longer that snout and postorbital length; mouth inferior, cleft extending to about midorbit, underside of head scaled, jaw teeth small, in bands; chin barbel short, thick, well developed; gill rakers on first arch tubercular, absent from outer face. Second spine of first dorsal fin smooth, pectoral fin base below first dorsal fin, pelvic fins inserted behind first dorsal and pectoral fins. Body scales with up to 20 parallel rows of small spinules. Naked fossa of light organ large, just before anus, elongate to ovoid, extending forward from anus midway to pelvic-fin bases.

Reaches a total length of 55 cm.

Body greenish grey dorsally and creamy white ventrally, with 8-10 narrow dark longitudinal stripes dorsolaterally and scattered pale spots dorsally on the head. The distal half of the first dorsal fin is black, and the anal fin is blackish posteriorly with a dusky to blackish distal margin; mouth and gill cavity black, lips and barbel pale.

Southern Whiptails feed on octopus, fishes and decapod crustaceans.

Although this species is commonly trawled as bycatch off NSW and Tasmania to depths of 300 metres, it is of no commercial importance despite its large size.

Not evaluated.

The specific name australis is from the Greek meaning southern.

Lepidoleprus australis Richardson, 1839, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 7: 100, Port Arthur, Tasmania (as Van Diemen's Land).

Bray, D.J.