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Crested Morwong
Cheilodactylus vestitus (Castelnau, 1878)
A Crested Morwong at a depth of 18 m, Fly Point Marine Reserve, Port Stephens, New South Wales, February 2004. View larger image.
The Crested Morwong can be recognised by the dark stripe, which crosses from the spiny part of the dorsal fin to the lower lobe of the caudal fin. There are pairs of knob-like protrusions in front of the eyes and above the upper lip. The dorsal fin is tall anteriorly, then decreases in height over the next four spines, with the rest of the fin being long-based and low.
The Crested Morwong grows to about 35 cm in length.
It occurs in tropical and warm temperate waters of the Western Pacific.
In Australia it is known from southern Queensland to the central coast of New South Wales. It is usually seen on shallow, sheltered coastal and estuarine reefs.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
A similar-looking species, the Magpie Morwong Cheilodactylus gibbosus occurs in Western Australia.
Related links
- Red Morwong fact sheet
- Banded Morwong fact sheet
- Dusky Morwong fact sheet
- Blue Morwong fact sheet
Further reading
- 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.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
