Eastern Blue Devil, Paraplesiops bleekeri (Günther 1861)
Other Names: Bleeker's Devilfish, Blue-tipped Long-fin
An Eastern Blue Devil, Paraplesiops bleekeri. Source: Thierry Rakotoarivelo / Reef Life Survey. License: All rights reserved
Summary:
A striking plesiopid with blue and white bands, a yellow caudal and pectoral fins, and elongate rays in the soft dorsal and anal fins.
Beautiful video of an Eastern Blue Devil.
Video of an Eastern Blue Devil at Bass Point, New South Wales, in about 20 m.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2024, Paraplesiops bleekeri in Fishes of Australia, accessed 20 Sep 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/3244
Eastern Blue Devil, Paraplesiops bleekeri (Günther 1861)
More Info
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Distribution |
Endemic to eastern Australia, from southern Queensland to Eden, New South Wales. Inhabits coastal reefs, usually sheltering in caves, crevices or under ledges, at depths to at least 51 m. |
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Conservation |
Listed as a protected species in New South Wales under the Fisheries Management Act 1994. Eastern Blue Devils were collected for trade in the aquarium industry. Heavy penalties apply for collecting or possessing Eastern Blue Devils in New South Wales. |
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Etymology |
The species is named in honour of Dutch ichthyologist and physician Pieter Bleeker. |
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Species Citation |
Plesiops bleekeri Günther 1861, Cat. Fishes Brit. Mus. 3: 364. Type locality: unknown, listed as possibly from Norfolk Island (erroneously as the species does not occur at Norfolk Island). |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2024 |
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Resources |
Eastern Blue Devil, Paraplesiops bleekeri (Günther 1861)
References
Bleeker, P. 1875. Sur le famille des pseudochromidoïdes et révision de ses espèces insulindiennes. Verhandelingen der Koninklijke Akademie van Wetenschappen 15(5): 1-32 See ref at BHL
Coleman, N. 1980. Australian Sea Fishes South of 30ºS. Lane Cove, NSW : Doubleday Australia Pty Ltd 309 pp.
Edgar, G.J. 1997. Australian Marine Life: the plants and animals of temperate waters. Reed Books. 544 pp.
Fetterplace, L.C., Turnbull, J.W., Knott, N. A. & Hardy, N.A. 2018. The devil in the deep: Expanding the known habitat of a rare and protected fish. European Journal of Ecology 4(1): 22-29. https://doi.org/10.2478/eje-2018-0003
Günther, A. 1861. Catalogue of the Fishes in the British Museum. Catalogue of the acanthopterygian fishes in the collection of the British Museum. London : British Museum Vol. 3 586 pp. See ref at BHL
Hoese, D.F. & Kuiter, R.H. 1984. A revision of the Australian plesiopid fish genus Paraplesiops, with notes on other Australian genera. Records of the Australian Museum 36(1/2): 7-18 figs 1-9.
Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp.
Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp.
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.
Kuiter, R.H. 2004. Basslets, Hamlets and their relatives. A comprehensive guide to selected Serranidae and Plesiopidae. Chorleywood, UK : TMC Publishing 216 pp.
Kuiter, R.H. & Kuiter, S.L. 2018. Fish watchers guide to coastal sea-fishes of south-eastern Australia. Seaford, Victoria : Aquatic Photographics, 371 pp.
Mooi, R.D. 1999. Families Plesiopidae, Notograptidae. pp. 2586-2588 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, pp. 2069-2790.
Neira, F.J., Miskiewicz, A.G. & Trnski, T. 1998. Larvae of temperate Australian fishes: laboratory guide for larval fish identification. Perth, Western Australia : University of Western Australia Press. 474 pp.
Parish, S. 1974. Australia's Ocean of Life. Newport, Victoria : Wedneil Publications 128 pp.
