Northern Blue Devil, Paraplesiops poweri Ogilby 1908
Other Names: Blue-tip Longfin
A Northern Blue Devil, Paraplesiops poweri, in captivity. Source: Robert Fenner / Wet Web Media http://www.wetwebmedia.com/. License: All rights reserved
Summary:
A brownish blue devil with 8-10 narrow dark vertical bands, blue spots on the head, a narrow blue line on the gill cover below the eye, a large blue spot on the gill cover, and blue tips on the dorsal-fin spines.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2024, Paraplesiops poweri in Fishes of Australia, accessed 02 Jul 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/4601
Northern Blue Devil, Paraplesiops poweri Ogilby 1908
More Info
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Distribution |
Port Denison, Queensland, to Tweed Heads, New South Wales. Inhabits inshore rocky and coral reefs, sometimes in silty areas. |
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Features |
Dorsal fin XII,9-10; Anal fin III,10: Pectoral fin 18-20; Caudal-fin, branched rays 15; Gill rakers, lower limb 11-13; Lateral-line scales, upper row 28-32, lower row 9-13; Predorsal scales 7-12. Body deep, depth at pelvic origin 35.6-44.4% of SL. Preopercular margin denticulate; eye diameter 8-14% SL in adults. Posterior dorsal and anal rays, longest dorsal ray of adults 29.3-43.1% SL. Pelvic fin very elongate, 38.4-50.6 % SL, reaching posteriorIy to between seventh to tenth anal ray. Caudal fin elongate, 35.3-38.9% SL. Preoperculum covered with numerous small close-set pores; scales on preoperculum scaled with a vertical row 1 or 2 scales wide from behind upper part of eye ventrally to behind posterior margin of jaws; posterior margin of preoperculum naked, with numerous pores; rest of cheek with medium-sized embedded cycloid scales, visible only upon dissection. Pores on lower surface of lower jaw evenly spaced. Top of head scaled to above posterior end of eye. Bases of dorsal and anal fins scaled. |
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Biology |
The male parent guards the developing eggs. |
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Etymology |
Named in honour of Percy Power, who caught the type specimen and presented it to the Amateur Fishermen’s Association of Queensland. |
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Species Citation |
Paraplesiops poweri Ogilby 1908, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 21: 17. Type locality: Mud Island, Moreton Bay, Queensland. |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2024 |
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Resources |
Northern Blue Devil, Paraplesiops poweri Ogilby 1908
References
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 https://doi.org/10.3853/j.0067-1975.36.1984.322
Hutchins, J.B. 1987. Description of a new plesiopid fish from south-western Australia, with a discussion of the zoogeography of Paraplesiops. Records of the Western Australian Museum 13(2): 231-240. See ref online
Johnson, J.W. 2010. Fishes of the Moreton Bay Marine Park and adjacent continental shelf waters, Queensland, Australia. pp. 299-353 in Davie, P.J.F. & Phillips, J.A. Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Marine Biological Workshop, The Marine Fauna and Flora of Moreton Bay. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 54(3)
Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp.
Kuiter, R.H. 2004. Basslets, Hamlets and their relatives. A comprehensive guide to selected Serranidae and Plesiopidae. Chorleywood, UK : TMC Publishing 1, 216 pp.
Mooi, R.D. 1999. Families Plesiopidae, Notograptidae. pp. 2586-2587 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.
Ogilby, J.D. 1908. On new genera and species of fishes. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 21: 1-26 See ref at BHL
Ogilby, J.D. 1916. Three undescribed Queensland fishes. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 28: 112-115 (described as Paraplesiops joliffei, type locality Green Island, Moreton Bay, Queensland) See ref at BHL
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.
Williams, J.T. 2022. Paraplesiops poweri. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T214365931A214365934. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T214365931A214365934.en. Accessed on 22 January 2024.
