• Home
• About Fishes
• Fish Department
• Collections
• What's new
• Find a fish
  • Species name
  • Common name
  • Type of fish
  • Glossary
• Identify a fish
• Student stuff
• FAQs
• Fish movies
• Fish links

Find a Fish

Common Gurnard Perch
Neosebastes scorpaenoides Guichenot, 1867

Family

Neosebastidae

Size

35 cm

Distribution

Endemic: southern New South Wales to South Australia

Depth

5 m - 140 m

A Common Gurnard Perch at a depth of 7 m, Mornington Pier, Victoria, March 2007. Photo © S. Schulz. View larger image.

A 246 mm SL Common Gurnard Perch caught in Frederick Henry Bay, near Clifton Beach, Tasmania (CSIRO H.3984-01). Photo © CSIRO Marine Research. View larger image.

Ventral view of mandible, showing the three distinct pores (left) on each side present in other southern Australian Neosebastes, and numerous tiny pores (right) of the Common Gurnard Perch. Illustration © H. Motomura. View larger image.

The Common Gurnard Perch has a relatively elongate body and short snout. The body is brownish or reddish, mottled with indistinct blackish blotches. The inside surface of the pectoral fin is white, with a broad vertical black band and numerous small orange spots.

This species can be distinguished from all members of Neosebastes occurring in southern half of Australia by having numerous tiny pores on the underside of the mandible versus three distinct pores on each side (see lower image). It differs from all members of Neosebastes occurring in the northern half of Australia, New Caledonia and East Asia by having 72-103 scales in longitudinal series along the side of the body (versus 47-63).

The Common Gurnard Perch is abundant in the vicinity of Tasmania (especially Bass Strait), but it appears to be rare in the Great Australian Bight. Young fish generally occur in shallower water than adults.

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

Related links

• Bighead Gurnard Perch fact sheet
• Blackspotted Gurnard Perch fact sheet
• Gulf Gurnard Perch fact sheet
• Incised Gurnard Perch fact sheet
• Johnson's Gurnard Perch fact sheet
• Long-snout Gurnard Perch fact sheet
• Orangebanded Gurnard Perch fact sheet
• View the Scorpionfishes list
• View the Scorpionfishes of Australia list

Further reading

1. Motomura, H. 2004. Revision of the scorpionfish genus Neosebastes (Scorpaeniformes: Neosebastidae), with descriptions of five new species. Indo-Pacific Fishes. 37: 1-76, pl. 1-2.