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Stripey
Microcanthus strigatus (Cuvier, 1831)

A Stripey with a parasitic fish louse on its tail. Port Stephens, New South Wales. View larger image. View information on the Leatherjacket Louse.

A Stripey at a depth of 5-6m, Shiprock, Port Hacking, New South Wales.

A Stripey at a depth of 18m, "Twin bommies", Halifax Sponge Gardens, Fly Point - Halifax Park Aquatic Reserve, Port Stephens, New South Wales, April 1999. View larger image.

The Stripey can be recognised by its deep, compressed body, and distinct pattern of slanting black and yellow to white stripes.

It grows to 16cm in length and eats invertebrates and algae.

This species lives on rocky and coral reefs in protected coastal and estuarine waters. It is seen in small to large aggregations (view images of schooling fish 1, 2). Juveniles often occurring in rock pools.

The Stripey is known to occur in three distinct regions. In Australia it is recorded on the east coast from southern Queensland to southern New South Wales. It is common in coastal reefs of the Sydney region. On the west coast it is recorded from Exmouth Gulf to Cape Leeuwin. The third region is in the northern hemisphere, from Japan, China and Hawaii. Some ichthyologists believe that fish from these regions may represent more than one species.

Another very common coastal fish in the same family as the Stripey (Microcanthidae), also occurs in the Sydney region, and shares the species name "strigatus". The Australian Mado (view fact sheet) is also black-striped, but is less deep bodied, more silvery and grows to a larger size (25cm).

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

Further reading

1. Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
2. Allen, G.R. & R. Swainston. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 201.
3. Edgar, G.J. 1997. Australian Marine Life; the plants and animals of temperate waters. Reed Books. Pp. 544
4. Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
5. Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-Eastern Australia. Crawford House Press. Pp. 437.
6. Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
7. Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.