Find a Fish
Fire Dartfish
Nemateleotris magnifica Fowler, 1938
All images: Fire Dartfish at a depth of 19m, Mantis Reef, Wreck Bay, far northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, December 1999. View larger image.
The Fire Dartfish can be recognised by the elongate white first dorsal fin, yellow snout and white head. The body gradually shades from white to bright orange-red posteriorly.
This species grows to 8cm in length.
It inhabits outer reef slopes in depths from 6m to 61m. It is common in the upper reef slopes where it uses holes in the substrate as burrows. Typically several juveniles may use the same hole, however adults usually occupy burrows in pairs or as a solitary fish. Fire Dartfish retreat into burrows when disturbed.
This fish is commonly seen hovering within 0.5m of the bottom. It faces into the current to feed on a range of zooplankton, especially copepods and other crustacean larvae.
The Fire Dartfish is often observed raising the elongate first dorsal fin and moving it back and forth.
This species occurs in tropical marine waters of the Indo-Pacific and Central Pacific, from East Africa, north to the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, south to New Caledonia and east to the Pitcairn Islands.
In Australia the Fire Dartfish is known from the offshore reefs of north-western Western Australia and the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 220.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 362.
- Myers, R.F. 1999. Micronesian Reef Fishes. Coral Graphics. Pp. 222
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 415
Copyright © Australian Museum, 2006
Page researched and compiled by
K. Parkinson & M. McGrouther, April 2003.
