Fishes - Australian Museum Fish Site

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Red Morwong
Cheilodactylus fuscus Castelnau, 1879

Red Morwong - head and pectoral fin
A Red Morwong at a depth of 7 m, Fairlight, Sydney, New South Wales, October 2003. Photo © P. Selwood. View larger image.
Red Morwong - juvenile
A juvenile Red Morwong at a depth of 3 m, Camp Cove, April 1979. Photo © R. Kuiter. View larger image.
Red Morwong
Red Morwongs at a depth of 20 m, Shark Point, New South Wales. Photo © Á. Lumnitzer. View larger image.
Red Morwong x-ray
A Red Morwong on a sponge at a depth of 12 m, Fly Point, Port Stephens, New South Wales. Photo © D. & L. Atkinson. View larger image.
Red Morwong x-ray
X-ray image of a Red Morwong from the Australian Museum fish collection (AMS I.24982-001). Photo: J. King © Australian Museum. View larger image.

The Red Morwong can be recognised by its colouration and extended lower pectoral fin rays. Adults are orange-brown to dark brown above and pale below. Small juveniles are silvery with dark bands crossing the upper sides and dorsal fin.

Adults have large fleshy lips and a forked caudal fin. There are horn-like bumps in front of the eyes.

It grows to 65 cm in length.

Adults are usually seen in aggregations on rocky reefs to about 30 m in depth. Juveniles live on algae covered reefs.

The Red Morwong occurs in warm temperate waters of Australia and New Zealand.

In Australia it is known from southern Queensland to eastern Victoria. It is common in New South Wales.

View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.

The Red Morwong occasionally has a banded pattern and looks similar to the Banded Morwong. The lack of bumps on the front of the head in the Banded Morwong can be used to separate the two species.

Related links

  1. Banded Morwong fact sheet
  2. Blue Morwong fact sheet
  3. Crested Morwong fact sheet
  4. Dusky Morwong fact sheet
  5. View a low resolution movie clip (46k) of this species. Go to the movies page for high and low resolution versions.
  6. View the Morwongs list

Further reading

  1. Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
  2. Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
  3. Kuiter, R.H. in Gomon, M.F., J.C.M. Glover & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
  4. Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
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