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Whitelegg's Weedfish
Heteroclinus whiteleggii (Ogilby, 1894)
Above and below: A Whitelegg's Weedfish at a depth of 1m, Kurnell, Sydney, New South Wales, 2001. View larger image.
Whitelegg's Weedfish has a short-based first dorsal fin connected by membrane to a long-based second dorsal fin. The finger-like pelvic fin rays are positioned below the gill openings.
The background colouration of this fish is highly variable, ranging from pink to brown or green. There is usually a series of white dashes along the lower sides of the body.
Whitelegg's Weedfish grows to 10cm in length.
It is endemic to (only found in) Australia, occurring in rockpools, intertidal areas and shallow weed-covered rocky reefs.
In Australia it is found in coastal marine waters of New South Wales from Byron Bay to Jervis Bay.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
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. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
