Australian Cusk, Neobythites australiensis Nielsen 2002

Other Names: Australian Cusk Eel

Summary:

A light brown cusk eel with a large central ocellus on the dorsal fin that does not extend ventrally onto the body, and a mottled brown upper head and body with small brown dots covering the body and fins. The species lacks an ocellus on the anterior part of the dorsal fin (although some specimens may have spots), and has no vertical bars on the body.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2023, Neobythites australiensis in Fishes of Australia, accessed 18 Jan 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/4591

Australian Cusk, Neobythites australiensis Nielsen 2002

More Info

Distribution	Off the North West Shelf to off Rowley Shoals, Western Australia: west of Cunningham Island, North West Shelf, and the Rowley Shoals to Browse Island. Elsewhere the species occurs in the South China Sea off southwestern Taiwan.
Features	Dorsal fin 88–92; Anal fin 73–77; Pectoral fin 26–29; Vertebrae precaudal 13 + (39-41) = 52–54; Pseudobranchial filaments 8–11; Long gill rakers on anterior arch 9–10. Hind margin of preopercle with two spines; head length 23–25% SL; pelvic fins short, 14–19% SL, fin tips not reaching anus; orbit length 4.2–4.7% SL and 17–19% HL; longest gill filament 1.6–1.8% SL and 6.7–7.4% HL.
Colour	Dorsal fin with a large ocellus placed slightly behind line through the anus, spot distance 44–49% SL and spot covers 9–13 dorsal-fin rays, not extending ventrally onto body; preserved specimens with dark-brown ocellus spot; no vertical bars on body, and no anterior ocellus (some specimens may have spots).
Remarks	Okamoto et al. (2011) reported a specimen of the Australian Cusk from Japan. This specimen was subsequently described by Uiblein & Nielsen (2023) as Neobythites japonicus.
Etymology	The species is named australiensis "after the distribution of the species, Australia".
Species Citation	Neobythites australiensis Nielsen 2002, Galathea Report 19: 20, fig. 10. Type locality: Southwest of Rowley Shoals, 18°4.6'S, 118°22'E, Western Australia, depth 327-328 m.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2023
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Australian Cusk, Neobythites australiensis Nielsen 2002

References

Nielsen, J.G. 2002. Revision of the Indo-Pacific species of Neobythites (Teleostei, Ophidiidae), with 15 new species. Galathea Report 19: 5-104 91 figs

Okamoto, M., Nielsen, J.G. & Motomura, H. 2011. First record of the cusk-eel, Neobythites australiensis Nielsen (Ophidiiformes: Ophidiidae), from the Northern Hemisphere. Biogeography 13: 69–71 (= Neobythites japonicus)

Su, Y., Lin, H.-C. & Ho, H.-C. 2023. New records of two cusk eels of the genus Neobythites from Taiwan, with a northward range extension of N. australiensis Nielsen, 2002 (Actinopterygii: Ophidiiformes: Ophidiidae). Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria 53: 243-251. https://doi.org/10.3897/aiep.53.114798

Uiblein, F., Everett, B., Matiku, P. & Sithole, Y. 2020. Neobythites australiensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T141357500A141807293. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T141357500A141807293.en. Accessed on 23 August 2023.

Uiblein, F. & Nielsen, J. 2023. Five new ocellus-bearing species of the cusk-eel genus Neobythites (Ophidiidae, Ophidiiformes) from the West Pacific, with establishment of three new species groups. Zootaxa 5336 (2): 179–205 https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5336.2.2