Red gurnard perch
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 Photo by Ian Skipworth
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| Helicolenus percoides (Richardson & Solander, 1842) |
The red gurnard perch or jock stewart, Helicolenus percoides, is a rockfish of the family Sebastidae, found on the continental shelves of Australia and New Zealand at depths of between 50 and 750 m, over both rocky reef areas and open sand. Its length is up to 47 cm.
The red gurnard perch is similar to the grandfather hapuku but has a smoother head, a more laterally compressed body, shorter dorsal fin spines, and is orange-brown rather than red, with a whitish belly.
Red gurnard perch give birth to fully developed young.
In both Australia and New Zealand there are 'inshore' and 'offshore' varieties, and more work needs to be done to determine if these are different species.
[edit] References
- "Helicolenus percoides". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. May 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
