New Zealand bluefish
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| Girella cyanea Macleay, 1881 |
The New Zealand bluefish, Girella cyanea, a sea chub of the genus Girella, is found off south east Australia and around the North Island of New Zealand, in broken rocky reef areas. Its length is between 30 and 75 cm, and may weigh up to 9 kg.
The New Zealand bluefish is a large deep-bodied species with a slightly pointed snout. It has long low dorsal and anal fins and a strong square-cut tail. Colouration is a uniform bright blue including the fins, scattered with small golden spots on the back and sides.
The teeth are close-set three-cusped, arranged in a number of rows in each jaw. Food consists of a wide range of invertebrates such as molluscs, brittle stars, worms, and crustaceans, that are scraped from the rock with their comb-like teeth. Schools of these fish tend to stay in one suitable locality, which provides many shelter caves and passages. They are not difficult to catch by line and make good eating.
[edit] References
- Girella cyanea (TSN 169517). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 18 April 2006.
- "Girella cyanea". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. March 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
- Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8
