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Pot-bellied Leatherjacket
Pseudomonacanthus peroni (Hollard, 1854)

Above and below: A Pot-bellied Leatherjacket at a depth of 18 m, Bundaberg Artificial Reef, Queensland, August 2004. Photo: Dave Harasti. View larger image.

Photo: Dave Harasti. View larger image.

Above and below: A large male (40 cm to 50 cm underwater length estimation) Pot-bellied Leatherjacket at a depth of 15 m, 'The Nursery', north-east side of Julian Rocks, Byron Bay, New South Wales, December 2003. Photo: T. Hochgrebe, PLANULA Divers' Retreat, Byron Bay. View larger image.

The fish in the lower right of the image is a female. It is smaller with larger spots. The male is swimming around the female, probably in a display of dominance. Photo: T. Hochgrebe. View larger image.

The Pot-bellied Leatherjacket is pale brown to greenish brown with many darker spots and blotches on its body. The spots become more numerous and relatively smaller with increasing body length.

It has a convex snout profile and a long caudal fin, although this becomes relatively shorter in very large individuals. Its belly flap can be enlarged downwards, making the fish appear much deeper in the body than it really is (hence the common name). Males have a row of two or three enlarged scale spines on the lower half of the caudal peduncle.

This species grows to 40 cm in length.

The Pot-bellied Leatherjacket occurs in tropical marine waters of Australia and Papua New Guinea. It is usually found on trawling grounds but sometimes photographed near coastal reefs.

In Australia it is known from the central coast of Western Australia, around the tropical north of the country and down the east coast to northern New South Wales. The fish from Julian Rocks (lower images) are the most southerly known occurrences of this species. It had previously been recorded in published literature as far south as southern Queensland.

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

This species sometimes called Peron's Leatherjacket.

Related links

• View a low resolution movie clip (67k) of this species. Go to the movies page for high and low resolution versions.
• View the Leatherjacket list

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. Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.