Gulf Gurnard Perch, Neosebastes bougainvillii (Cuvier 1829)

Other Names: Gulf Gurnard Scorpionfish, Gulf Perch

Gulf Gurnard Perch, Neosebastes bougainvillii, at the Glenelg Artificial Reef (Dredge), Gulf St Vincent, South Australia. Source: David Muirhead / MLSSA, mlssa.asn.au. License: CC BY Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike

Summary:

Identifying features:
Hind margin of pectoral fin bilobed;
Smaller dark brown patches on upper part of body posteriorly;
Underside of lower jaw with 3 distinct pores and longitudinal ridges on each side, with a large dark brown patch on anterior part of body extending onto spinous dorsal fin;
Reddish-brown with a large dark brown patch on anterior part of body extending onto spinous dorsal fin;
Smaller dark brown patches on upper part of body posteriorly and irregular orange spots on lower part of body;
Pectoral and caudal fins with a broad dark band;
Occipital pit long, narrow and very deep without scales.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2024, Neosebastes bougainvillii in Fishes of Australia, accessed 23 Apr 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/3227

Gulf Gurnard Perch, Neosebastes bougainvillii (Cuvier 1829)

More Info

Distribution	Endemic to southern Australia from Kangaroo Island and the Gulf St Vincent, South Australia, to north of Perth (and possibly north to Shark Bay), Western Australia.
Features	Dorsal fin VIII, 8-9 (third spine longest); Anal fin III, 5; Pectoral fin 20-21, distal margin bilobed; Lateral-line scales (pored)33-38; longitudinal scale series 62-69; scale rows between base of last dorsal-fin spine and lateral line 7 or 8; Gill rakers 0-1 + 5-7 (total 5-8 plus rudiments).
Fisheries	Taken as bycatch in commercial trawls.
Species Citation	Sebastes bougainvillii Cuvier, 1829, Hist. Nat. Poiss. 4: 349. Type locality: Indian Ocean.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2024
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Gulf Gurnard Perch, Neosebastes bougainvillii (Cuvier 1829)

References

Coleman, N. 1980. Australian Sea Fishes South of 30ºS. Lane Cove, NSW : Doubleday Australia Pty Ltd 309 pp. (as N. panticus)

Cuvier, G.L. & Valenciennes, A. 1829. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : Levrault Vol. 4 518 pp. pls 72-99. See ref at BHL

Hoschke, A., Whisson, G. & Moore, G.I. 2019. Complete list of fishes from Rottnest Island. pp. 150-161 in Whisson, G. & Hoschke, A. (eds.) The Rottnest Island fish book. 2nd ed. Perth, Western Australia : Aqua Research and Monitoring Company.

Hutchins, J.B. 2001. Checklist of the fishes of Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 63: 9-50

Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp.

Hutchins, J.B. & Thompson, M. 1983. The Marine and Estuarine Fishes of South-western Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 103 pp. 345 figs.

Johnson, J.W. & Motomura, H. 2008. Family Neosebastidae. pp. 489-495 in Gomon. M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.

Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp. (as Neosebastes panticus)

Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp.

May, J.L. & Maxwell, J.G.H. 1986. Field Guide to Trawl Fish from Temperate Waters of Australia. Hobart : CSIRO Division of Marine Research 492 pp. (as Neosebastes panticus)

Motomura, H. 2004. Revision of the scorpionfish genus Neosebastes (Scorpaeniformes: Neosebastidae), with descriptions of five new species. Indo-Pacific Fishes 37: 1-76

McCulloch, A.R. & Waite, E.R. 1918. Some new and little known fishes from South Australia. Records of the South Australian Museum 1(1): 39-78 figs 26-31 pls 2-7 (described as Neosebastes pantica, type locality Spencer Gulf, South Australia)

Poss, S.G. 1994. Family Scorpaenidae. pp. 477-494 figs 428-441 in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs.