Spikey Bass, Hypopterus macropterus (Günther 1859)


Other Names: Spiky Bass

A Spikey Bass, Hypopterus macropterus, at the Omeo Wreck, North Coogee, Western Australia, December 2021. Source: jmartincrossley / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Summary:
An olive brown seabass becoming pale silvery below, with dark oval spots on each scale, and eight indistinct bands along the head and body.

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2023, Hypopterus macropterus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 30 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/4642

Spikey Bass, Hypopterus macropterus (Günther 1859)

More Info


Distribution

Cockburn Sound to the Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia, to Port Essington, Northern Territory. Inhabits inshore soft sediment areas.

Features

Dorsal fin VII-I, 14–15; Lateral line (pored scales) 43–44; Gill rakers (including rudiments) 6+1+11=19.
Body relatively deep, depth 42‒44% SL; nostrils widely separated on each side of the head; lower edge of preopercle with a single spine at angle; large scales on posterior part of maxilla.

Etymology

The specific name macropterus is from the Greek makros (= large) and pteron (= wing, fin).

Species Citation

Psammoperca macroptera Günther 1859,  Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. 1: 69. Type locality: ‘Victoria’ [= Port Essington, Northern Territory].

Author

Bray, D.J. 2023

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Spikey Bass, Hypopterus macropterus (Günther 1859)

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. 2009. Field Guide to Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-East Asia. Welshpool : Western Australian Museum Edn. 4, pp. 287.

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. 

Günther, A. 1859. Catalogue of the Fishes in the British Museum. Catalogue of the acanthopterygian fishes in the collection of the British Museum. Gasterosteidae, Berycidae, Percidae, Aphredoderidae, Pristipomatidae, Mullidae, Sparidae. London : British Museum Vol. 1 524 pp. See ref at BHL

Iwatsuki 2018. Validity of Psammoperca datnioides Richardson 1848 and redescriptions of P. waigiensis Cuvier in Cuvier & Valenciennes 1828 and Hypopterus macropterus (Günther 1859) in the family Latidae (Perciformes) from the Indo-West Pacific. Zootaxa 4402 (3): 467–486 https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4402.3.3 abstract

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

Travers, M.J. & Potter, I.C. 2002. Factors influencing the characteristics of fish assemblages in a large subtropical marine embayment. Journal of Fish Biology 61(3): 764-784.

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37310007

Depth:1-30 m

Habitat:Soft sediment areas

Max Size:14 cm SL

Native:Endemic

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Species Maps

CAAB distribution map