Tarakihi
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| Tarakihi | ||||||||||||||
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.jpg/180px-Nemadactylus_macropterus_(Tarakihi).jpg) Photo by Ian Skipworth
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| Nemadactylus macropterus (Forster, 1801) |
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 Range (in blue)
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The tarakihi or jackass morwong, Nemadactylus macropterus, is a morwong of the genus Nemadactylus, found off southern Australia, the Atlantic coast of South America, and all around New Zealand to depths of about 400 m, on all types of bottoms. Its length is between 30 and 60 cm.
The tarakihi is similar to the porae but with a silver body colour and a distinctive black saddle immediately behind the head. Their diet is similar to that of the porae but also contains a wide range of invertebrates.
They gather in large aggregations on the outer continental shelves to spawn in late summer and autumn. The mass of fertilised eggs then form part of the plankton, developing into pelagic larvae that remain in open water for 7 to 10 months. At this stage they are dark grey above, bright red on the flanks, and silvery below but lack the black saddle of the adult. They then settle to the bottom and change to the adult colouration.
Tarakihi are an important commercial fishing species, taken by bottom trawling, and are also sought after by anglers. Large specimens of 5 or 6 kg are sometimes caught over rock pinnacles in deep water.
[edit] References
- Nemadactylus macropterus (TSN 170262). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 19 March 2006.
- "Nemadactylus macropterus". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. January 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
