Tommyfish, Limnichthys fasciatus Waite 1904

Other Names: Barred Sand Burrower, Sand-diver, Striped Sand-diver, Tommy Fish

A Tommyfish, Limnichthys fasciatus, at Batemans Marine Park, New South Wales. Source: Andrew J. Green / Reef Life Survey. License: CC by Attribution

Summary:

A small elongate sand-burrowing fish with a series of dark bars of saddles along the back, some of which extend to the distinct lateral band.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2017, Limnichthys fasciatus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 04 Oct 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/2583

Tommyfish, Limnichthys fasciatus Waite 1904

More Info

Distribution	Six Mile Island to Kendrew Island, Western Australia, and Ashmore Reef, Coral Sea to off Eden, New South Wales. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical, temperate, West Pacific - Vanuatu, Japan and Taiwan.
Biology	Species of the genus Limnichthyhs are protandrous hermaphrodites, meaning that they change sex from male to female during their life.
Similar Species	Differs from the Elegant Sandburrower, Limnichthys nitidus, in having some of the dark saddles along the back reaching the lateral band (vs none reaching the midline in L. nitidus).
Species Citation	Limnichthys fasciatus Waite 1904, Rec. Aust. Mus. 5(3): 178, pl. 23(4). Type locality: Lord Howe Island.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2017
Resources	Australian Faunal Directory

Tommyfish, Limnichthys fasciatus Waite 1904

References

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Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls.

Collin, H.B. & Collin, S.P. (1988) The cornea of the sandlance, Limnichthys fasciatus (Creediidae). Cornea 7(3): 190-203.

Collin, S.P. & Collin, H.B. (1988) The morphology of the retina and lens of the sandlance Limnichthys fasciatus (Creediidae). Experimental Biology 47: 208-218.

Collin, S.P. & Collin, H.B. (1988) Topographic analysis of the retinal ganglion cell layer and the optic nerve in the sandlance, Limnichthys fasciatus (Creediidae, Perciformes). The Journal of Comparative Neurology 278: 226-241.

Collin, S.P. & Collin, H.B. (1997) The head and eye of the sandlance, Limnichthys fasciatus (Creediidae). A field emission scanning electron microscopy study. Clinical and Experimental Optometry 80: 133-138.

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Nelson, J.S. 1978. Limnichthys polyactis, a new species of blennioid fish from New Zealand with notes on the taxonomy and distribution of other Creediidae (including Limnichthyidae). New Zealand Journal of Zoology 5(2): 351-364 figs 1-5

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Pettigrew, J.D., Collin, S.P. & Ott, M. (1999) Convergence of specialised behaviour, eye movements and visual optics in the sandlance (Teleostei) and the chameleon (Reptilia). Current Biology 9(8): 421-424.

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs.

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs.

Reader, S.E., Leis, J.M. & Rennis, D.M. 2000. Creediidae, pp 575–578. In: Leis, J.M. & Carson–Ewart, B.M. (eds) The larvae of Indo-Pacific coastal fishes: an identification guide to marine fish larvae. BRILL, Leiden.

Schwab, I.R., Collin, S.P. & Pettigrew, J.D. 2005. Sandlance, Limnichthys fasciatus: Chameleon of the sea. British Journal of Ophthalmology 89: 4.

Shitamitsu, T. & Sunobe, T. 2017. Notes on protandry in the creediid fishes Limnichthys fasciatus and L. nitidus (Teleostei: Creediidae). Ichthyological Research 64: 365-367. doi:10.1007/s10228-016-0566-z

Waite, E.R. 1904. Additions to the fish-fauna of Lord Howe Island. No. 4. Records of the Australian Museum 5(3): 135-186 fig. 32 pls 17-24

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