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Ocean Jacket
Nelusetta ayraudi (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)

An Ocean Jacket at a depth of 4 m, Shiprock, Port Hacking, New South Wales, January 2002. View larger image.

A 25 cm long Ocean Jacket, caught on hook and line at a depth of 60 m to 70 m, east of Garie Beach, Royal National Park, just south of Sydney, New South Wales, May 2006. Photo: I. Graham © Australian Museum. View larger image.

The Ocean Jacket has a brownish-yellow body. The skin is velvety to touch. Juvenile Ocean Jackets have four or five brown stripes along the sides of the body.

This species grows to 1 m in length and is reported to live for 9 years.

Adults inhabit continental shelf and slope waters. Juveniles are more commonly seen in coastal bays.

Ocean Jackets are found in depths from 1 m to 350 m.

This species feeds on salps, crustaceans, molluscs and fishes. The teeth are very strong and adults are able to bite through large fish hooks.

The Ocean Jacket is considered to be endemic to Australia. One specimen however has been collected from New Zealand.

It is known from the central coast of Western Australia, around the southern coast of the country, including the Tasmanian coastline and up the east coast to southern Queensland.

View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.

For many years this species was called the Chinaman Leatherjacket.

Related links

• View the Leatherjackets list
• View the family Monacanthidae list

Further reading

1. Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
2. Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 469.