Cockatoo Waspfish, Ablabys taenianotus (Cuvier 1829)


Other Names: Cockatoo Fish, Cockatoo Leaf-fish, Leaf Fish

A Cockatoo Waspfish, Ablabys taenianotus, on the Gold Coast Seaway, southern Queensland, June 2017. Source: Deb Aston / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:
A cream to brown, reddish or yellowish waspfish with a strongly compressed body, an almost vertical snout, elevated spines at the front of the dorsal fin, and often a white forehead and snout, and white blotches on the body. Adults may have a scribbled pattern of dark lines and blotches on the dorsal fin.
These masters of disguise often sway back and forth, mimicking leaves or debris moving with the surge.
A pair of Cockatoo Waspfish mimicking dead leaves moving with the surge in Bali, Indonesia.

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2023, Ablabys taenianotus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 29 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/3205

Cockatoo Waspfish, Ablabys taenianotus (Cuvier 1829)

More Info


Distribution

North West Cape, Western Australia, and Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island, Timor Sea, around the tropical north to Sydney, New South Wales; also Christmas Island in the Eastern Indian Ocean, and the Lord Howe Province and Norfolk Island in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical, east-Indo-west Pacific.

Individuals or pairs inhabit sandy, rubble, muddy and weedy areas on sheltered inshore reefs, usually at depths to 20 m.

Features

Dorsal fin XVII-XVIII, 6-7; Anal fin III, 4-5; Pectoral fin 11-12; Longitudinal scales series 90.
Body depth 2.6-2.8 in SL. Dorsal fin originating over front edge of eye, membranes not incised; spinous portion usually held erect, second dorsal-fin spine longest, almost equal to head length.
Lacrimal with two posteriorly-directed spines, posterior spine about three times length of anterior spine; preopercular border with 5 spines, uppermost spine about half eye diameter, four lower spines short, blunt.

Similar Species

The similar Lesser-scaled Cockatoo Waspfish, Ablabys pauciporus, differs in having distinctly lower body scale counts, including the number of lateral-line pores (12 or 13 vs. 20–25 in A. taenianotus), strongly notched interspinous dorsal-fin membranes (vs. weakly notched or un-notched in A. taenianotus), and some differing morphometrics (including head depth, orbit diameter and pelvic-fin length) and in coloration.

Etymology

The specific name taenianotus is from the Latin taenia (= band, ribbon) and notum (= back) in reference to the long-based dorsal fin of this species.

Species Citation

Apistus taenianotus Cuvier, 1829, Règne Animal 2: 168. Type locality: Mauritius, Mascarenes, southwestern Indian Ocean.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2023

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Cockatoo Waspfish, Ablabys taenianotus (Cuvier 1829)

References


Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls.

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 (as Ablabys slacksmithi)

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.

Choat, J.H., van Herwerden, L., Robbins, W.D., Hobbs, J.P. & Ayling, A.M. 2006. A report on the ecological surveys undertaken at Middleton and Elizabeth Reefs, February 2006. Report by James Cook University to the Department of the Environment and Heritage. 65 pp.

Chungthanawong, S. & Motomura, H. 2018. Two new species of the waspfish genus Ablabys (Scorpaeniformes: Tetrarogidae) from the western Pacific Ocean. Ichthyological Research Online: 1-15, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-018-0665-0

Cuvier, G. 1829. Le Règne Animal, distribué d'après son organisation, pour servir de base à l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction à l'anatomie comparée. Paris : Déterville Vol. 2, Edn 2, i-xv + pp. 1-406.

De Vis, C.W. 1884. Fishes from South Sea islands. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 1 8(4): 445-457 (described as Tetraroge vestitusSee ref at BHL

Francis, M.P. 1991. Additions to the Fish Faunas of Lord Howe, Norfolk, and Kermadec Islands, Southwest Pacific Ocean. Pacific Science 45(2): 204-220 figs 1-44

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. 2022. Checklist of the coastal fishes of Lord Howe, Norfolk and Kermadec islands December 2022. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.21563766.v2


Fricke, R., Kulbicki, M. & Wantiez, L. 2011. Checklist of the fishes of New Caledonia, and their distribution in the Southwest Pacific Ocean (Pisces). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde. Serie A (Biologie) Neue Serie 4: 341-463 

Gloerfelt-Tarp, T. & Kailola, P.J. 1984. Trawled Fishes of Southern Indonesia and Northwest Australia. Jakarta : Dir. Gen. Fish. (Indonesia), German Tech. Coop., Aust. Dev. Ass. Bur. 406 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. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp.

Kuiter, R.H. & Tonozuka, T. 2001. Pictorial guide to Indonesian reef fishes. Part 1. Eels- Snappers, Muraenidae - Lutjanidae. Australia : Zoonetics, Australia pp. 1-302.

Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P. 2013. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa 3696(1): 1-293.

Poss, S.G. 1999. Families Scorpaenidae, Caracanthidae, Aploactinidae. pp. 2291-2358 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.

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., 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.

Randall, J.E. & Spreinat, A. 2004. The subadult of labrid fish Novaculoides macrolepidotus, a mimic of waspfishes of the genus Ablabys. aqua, Journal of Ichthyology and Aquatic Biology 8(2): 45-48.

Russell, B.C. 1983. Annotated checklist of the coral reef fishes in the Capricorn-Bunker group, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Special Publication Series 1: 1-184 figs 1-2

Whitley, G.P. 1958. Descriptions and records of fishes. Proceedings of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales 1956–57: 28-51 figs 1-12 (described as Amblyapistus (Parocosia) slacksmithiSee ref at BHL

Whitley, G.P. 1966. Genera piscium: work in progress. The Australian Zoologist 13(3): 231-234 [as Ablabys (Parocosia) slacksmithi and Ablabys taenianotus]

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37287031

Danger:Venomous spines

Depth:0-80 m

Fishing:Aquarium fish

Habitat:Sandy, rubble, weed areas

Max Size:15 cm TL

Species Image Gallery

Species Maps

CAAB distribution map