Leichhardt's Velvetfish, Kanekonia leichhardti Johnson 2013
Holotype (top) and paratype of Leichhardt's Velvetfish, Kanekonia leichhardti. Source: Queensland Museum. License: CC By Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Summary:
A pale creamy-greyish velvetfish becoming white below with a pinkish hue, a few small scattered diffuse dark brown spots scattered on the back and upper side, and dark brown dots below the eye. The pectoral fins are semi-transparent with several small dark brown spots on the midsection, and the dorsal fin has faint oblique brownish bands,. The pelvic, anal and caudal fins are semi transparent.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2025, Kanekonia leichhardti in Fishes of Australia, accessed 05 Jun 2026, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/4985
Leichhardt's Velvetfish, Kanekonia leichhardti Johnson 2013
More Info
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Distribution |
Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland. Inhabits sandy/muddy areas. |
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Features |
Dorsal fin XII-XIII, 8; Anal fin I, 7-8; Pectoral fin 15; Pelvic fin I, 2; Gill rakers 1-2 + 5-7 = 6-8; Lateral-line tubes 8-9; Vertebrae, including urostyle, 25-26. Snout long, 2.9–3.1 in HL; head and body narrow, body width 2.0–2.2 in HL; predorsal profile slightly notched; interorbital ridges not promin ently sculptured, converging anteriorly to form inverted Y shape, symphysis above vertical from middle of eye, continuing as single ridge to base of first dorsal-fin spine. Interorbital ridges not prominently sculptured, converging anteriorly to form inverted Y shape, symphysis above a vertical from middle of the eye and continuing as a single ridge to base of first dorsal-fin spine. Skin smooth with minute, sparsely-distributed velvety scales. |
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Fisheries |
The species has been taken as bycatch in prawn trawls and dredges. |
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Etymology |
The species is named leichhardti after the Prussian naturalist and explorer Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt (1813-ca.1848). During the years 1844-1845, he achieved one of the longest journeys of exploration by land in Australia, from the Darling Downs, Queensland to Port Essington, Northern Territory, a distance of about 4,800 km. He was the first European to traverse the southern edge of the Gulf of Carpentaria overland and to report on its fauna, flora and geology. |
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Species Citation |
Kanekonia leichhardti Johnson 2013, Memoirs of the Queensland Museum - Nat. 58: 398, figs 1A-B, 4A-C, 6A. Type locality: Gulf of Carpenteria, Queensland, Australia, 13°01.3"S, 140°12'E, dredged in 63 m. |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2025 |
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Resources |
Leichhardt's Velvetfish, Kanekonia leichhardti Johnson 2013
References
Johnson, J.W. 2013. Kanekonia leichhardti, a new species of velvetfish (Actinopterygii: Scorpaeniformes: Aploactinidae) from the Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland, Australia. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum Ser. Nature 58: 397-410. https://doi.org/10.17082/j.2204-1478.58.2013.2013-17
