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Spotted Handfish
Brachionichthys hirsutus (Lacépède, 1804)
Above and below: A Spotted Handfish at a depth of 5 m, eastern bank of the Derwent River, greater Hobart area, Tasmania, July 2007. Photo © P. Malin. View larger image.
The Spotted Handfish is pinkish above and white below, with darker orange, brown or blackish spots. It has a high first dorsal fin originating on the snout and a long based soft rayed dorsal fin. There is a long illicium on the snout.
It grows to about 12 cm in standard length.
This species is endemic to south-eastern Australia, occurring in the lower Derwent River estuary, Frederick Henry Bay, D'Entrecasteaux Channel and the northern regions of Storm Bay.
It is a benthic species, usually found on sandy bottoms in depths from 5 m to 40 m, although more commonly at 5 m to 10 m.
The species is listed as critically endangered on both the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and the ASFB Threatened Fishes Committee listings. Its decline has been attributed to a number of factors including predation by the Northern Pacific Seastar (Asterias amurensis), habitat modification and heavy metal contamination.
Spawning occurs in September and October . Females lay egg masses on vertical objects such as stalked ascidians, sponges and seagrasses. The female guards the egg masses. After 7 to 8 weeks, fully formed juveniles (6 mm to 7 mm long) hatch from the eggs and drop to the substrate below.
The Spotted Handfish eats crustaceans, polychaete worms and small shells.
The species has also been called the Prickly-skinned Handfish and Tortoiseshell Fish.
Related links
- Australian Handfish fact sheet
- Brachionichthys politus fact sheet
- View the Handfishes list
- View the family Brachionichthyidae list
Further reading
- Bruce, B.D., Green, M.A. & P.R. Last. 1999. Aspects of the biology of the endangered spotted handfish, Brachionichthys hirsutus (Lophiiformes: Brachionichthyidae) off southern Australia. pp. 369–380 in Séret B. & J.-Y. Sire, (eds) Proceedings of the 5th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference,Noumea, New Caledonia, 3–8 November 1997. Paris :Societe Française d’Ichtyologie. Pp. 888.
- Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & G.R. Allen. 2006. Fishes. In Beesley, P.L. & A. Wells. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Volume 35. ABRS & CSIRO Publishing: Australia. parts 1-3, pages 1-2178.
- 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.
- Pogonoski, J.J., Pollard, D.A. & J.R. Paxton. 2002. Conservation Overview and Action Plan for Australian Threatened and Potentially Threatened Marine and Estuarine Fishes. Canberra: Environment Australia. Pp. 375.
