Find a Fish
Rock Cale
Aplodactylus lophodon (Günther, 1859)
Above and below; A Rock Cale at a depth of 8m, Bowen Island, Jervis Bay, New South Wales, March 2001. View larger image.
The Rock Cale has a small head with a blunt snout, which give it a "hunchbacked" appearance. It has large pectoral fins with thickened lower rays.
Its colouration varies from yellowish-brown in females to bluish-black in males. There is lighter mottling on the body and pale spots on all the fins. Adults have a dark saddle below the first dorsal fin and a row of white blotches on the sides.
It grows to 35cm in length.
The Rock Cale is found from northern New South Wales to northern Victoria. It is a very common fish in the exposed shores of the central New South Wales coast. It eats algae from the surface down to about 10m depth.
Most recent publications list this species as Crinodus lophodon. The research of Dr B.C. Russell (see Further Reading), of the Northern Territory Museum, has shown that this species should be placed in the genus Aplodactylus.
The Rock Cale can be separated from other species of Aplodactylus by its larger scales (72-82 in the lateral line versus 83-120) and its lack of vomerine teeth (glossary).
Further reading
- Edgar, G.J. 1997. Australian Marine Life: the plants and animals of temperate waters. Reed Books. Pp. 544.
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
- Russell, BC 2000. Review of the southern temperate fish family Aplodactylidae (Pisces: Perciformes). Journal of Natural History. 34: 2157-2171.
