Find a Fish
Pigfish
Bodianus unimaculatus (Günther, 1862)
Young Pigfish are pinkish with thin stripes on the sides of the body and red lines on the head.
As a fish ages the lines become less evident. Males are red above with a pinkish to white region on the side below the dorsal fin rays. There is a black blotch on the dorsal fin spines.
This species grows to 45cm in length.
This fish usually occurs on offshore reefs greater than 50m in depth. It is mostly seen when caught on hook and line, but is sometime observed by divers at around 30m.
The Pigfish is known from southern Queensland to Victoria and also from New Zealand.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
