• Home
• About Fishes
• Fish Department
• Collections
• What's new
• Find a fish
  • Species name
  • Common name
  • Type of fish
  • Glossary
• Identify a fish
• Student stuff
• FAQs
• Fish movies
• Fish links

Find a Fish

Whitley’s Gurnard Perch
Maxillicosta whitleyi Eschmeyer & Poss, 1976

Family

Neosebastidae

Size

7 cm

Distribution

Endemic to the east coast of Australia from southern Queensland to north-eastern Victoria

Depth

41 m - 82 m

A Whitley’s Gurnard Perch caught at a depth of 40 m, by K. Graham on FRV Kapala, off northern New South Wales, October 1985. Photo © K. Graham. View larger image.

Line drawing showing lateral views of the left nasal spines of A) Southern Gurnard Perch (CSIRO A 4252 – holotype) and B) Whitley’s Gurnard Perch NMV A 16546. AM = anterior margin. Illustration from Motomura et al (2006: fig. 3). Illustration © H. Motomura. View larger image.

Caudal fins of preserved specimens. A) Southern Gurnard Perch (NMV A 2678) and B) Whitley’s Gurnard Perch (AMS I.26023-003). Figure from Motomura et al (2006: fig. 7). Photo © H. Motomura. View larger image.

Whitley’s Gurnard Perch has large eyes, a large oblique mouth and groove behind the eyes. It can be recognised by a combination of characters that include a lack of reticulated colour pattern on the body and 19 to 22 pectoral fin rays.

There are 40 to 47 scales in the longitudinal series and 25 to 28 pored lateral line scales. The nasal spines have 3 to 12 spinous points on the anterior margin (see illustration). The caudal fins of preserved specimens usually have three or four narrow irregular vertical bands (see bottom image).

The species is named in honour of Gilbert Whitley, Fish Curator at the Australian Museum for 42 years (1922-1964).

Whitley’s Gurnard Perch has previously been confused with Southern Gurnard Perch, Maxillicosta meridianus . The species can be separated by different caudal fin markings (in preserved specimens) and nasal spine morphology. For additional differences, see Motomura et al (2006).

Related links

• Bigeye Gurnard Perch fact sheet
• Little Red Gurnard Perch fact sheet
• Little Gurnard Perch fact sheet
• Southern Gurnard Perch fact sheet
• View the Family Neosebastidae list
• View the Scorpionfishes list
• View the Scorpionfishes of Australia list

Further reading

1. Motomura, H., Last, P.R. & M.F. Gomon. 2006. A New species of the Scorpionfish Genus Maxillicosta from the Southeast Coast of Australia, with a Redescription of M. whitleyi (Scorpaeniformes: Neosebastidae). Copeia 3: 445-459.