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Whiskered Prowfish
Neopataecus waterhousii (Castelnau, 1872)
A Whiskered Prowfish in floating Sargassum (bottom depth 100 m) west of Rottnest Island, Western Australia, July 1978. Photo: Barry Hutchins. View larger image.
X-ray image of a Whiskered Prowfish from the Australian Museum Fish Collection (AMS IB.3091). View larger image.
The Whiskered Prowfish is a highly compressed species that has a very narrow caudal peduncle. It has a single dorsal fin that originates in front of the eyes. The colouration of this fish is variable. It can be brown or orange with white or pink blotches or red lines.
It grows to 19 cm in length.
The Whiskered Prowfish is uncommon. It is occasionally seen in floating seaweed and sometimes in crayfish pots.
This species is endemic to Australia, occurring in temperate marine waters from eastern South Australia to off south-western Western Australia.
The Whiskered Prowfish superficially resembles the Red Indianfish. The two species can be distinguished by positions of the dorsal and caudal fins, which are joined in the Red Indianfish and separate in the Whiskered Prowfish.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Related links
- Red Indianfish fact sheet
- View the Red Indianfish and Prowfishes list
Further reading
- Gomon, M.F. 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.
