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Short Boarfish
Parazanclistius hutchinsi Hardy, 1983
A Short Boarfish at a depth of 12 m, Port Giles Jetty, South Australia, April 1980. Photo © D. Muirhead. View larger image.
The Short Boarfish has a pointed snout and a concave head profile. It has a very high dorsal fin and a rounded anal fin margin.
The body is silver to olive-brown with irregular dark bands. There is a distinct ocellus at the rear of the dorsal fin.
This species grows to 34 cm in length.
The Short Boarfish is endemic to Australia. It occurs in temperate coastal waters from eastern Victoria to south-western Western Australia.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
This species is also been called Hutchin's Boarfish. It was named in honour of Dr Barry Hutchins of the Western Australian Museum.
The Short Boarfish could be confused with the Black-spotted Boarfish Zanclistius elevatus, which also occurs in southern Australian waters. The two species can be separated by presence in the Black-spotted Boarfish of a prominent bump on the head above the eyes, the straight anal fin margin, and slightly different body markings.
Related links
- Giant Boarfish fact sheet
- Longsnout Boarfish fact sheet
- Richardson's Boarfish fact sheet
- View the Boarfishes list
Further reading
- Edgar, G.J. 1997. Australian Marine Life: the plants and animals of temperate waters. Reed Books. Pp. 544.
- Hardy, G.S. in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Hutchins, B. & M. Thompson. 1983. The Marine and Estuarine Fishes of South-western Australia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 103.
- 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.
