Find a Fish
Fortescue
Centropogon australis (White, 1790)
A Fortescue at a depth of 16 m, Shiprock, Port Hacking, New South Wales. Photo © E. Schlögl. View larger image.
A Fortescue at a depth of 15 m, Shiprock, Sydney, New South Wales, December 2003. The two large spines on the side of the head can be erected when the fish is threatened. Photo © P. Selwood. View larger image. View larger image of a Fortescue at Nelson Bay, New South Wales.
A Fortescue at a depth of 6 m, La Perouse, Sydney, New South Wales, December 1998. Photo © Á. Lumnitzer. View larger image.
The Fortescue has a brown to white body with dark brown to black bars. It has two large spines on either side of the head that can be projected sideways when the fish is disturbed. The first dorsal fin has 16 strong spines that are capable of inflicting a very painful sting.
This species grows to 14 cm in length.
It lives in estuaries and bays to a depth of 30 m. Divers often see Fortescues, sometimes in large numbers, resting motionless on the bottom.
The Fortescue is endemic to Australia. It occurs in temperate marine waters from southern Queensland to eastern Victoria.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Edgar, G.J. 1997. Australian Marine Life: the plants and animals of temperate waters. Reed Books. Pp. 544.
- Poss, S.G. 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.
- 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.
