Foxfish
Foxfish Bodianus frenchii off Rottnest Island
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Labriformes
Family: Labridae
Genus: Bodianus
Species:
B. frenchii
Binomial name
Bodianus frenchii
(Klunzinger, 1880)
Synonyms[2]
  • Cossyphus frenchii Klunzinger, 1879
  • Trochocopus rufus W. J. Macleay, 1878

The foxfish, Bodianus frenchii, is a species of wrasse native to the temperate marine waters in southwestern Western Australia to eastern South Australia, and from southern Queensland to eastern Tasmania, at depths between 10 and 40 m.[3] A gap in the distribution of foxfish occurs through Victoria.[3] Its length is up to 45 cm.

Description

The foxfish is brown, red, or orange with two spots on the back. When foxfish are juveniles, they are brown and have three yellow patches with a black area around the pectoral fin.[3]

Habitat and biology

Foxfish are typically found living under ledges and in caves.[3] It is a long lived species which may attain ages of 60 or more years. Foxfish are protogynous hermaphrodites, and they spawn several times during the late spring and the summer.[4] They form distinct pairs when breeding.[2]

Human uses

The foxfish is caught as bycatch in trawl fisheries off the coasts of New South Wales and Western Australia. In Western Australia it is a quarry for recreational anglers and the state applies bag limits. It is also taken for the aquarium trade and is prized in the United States.[4]

Taxonomy and etymology

Bodianus frenchii was formally described in 1879 as Cossyphus frenchii by Carl Benjamin Klunzinger with the type locality given as King George Sound, Western Australia.[5] The specific name honours Herr French, who was an assistant to Dr V. Muller, who was the collector of many types of Australian fishes described by Klunzinger.[4] The vernacular name, "foxfish", is thought to be taken from the misapplied binomial Bodianus vulpinus, as to most eyes this fish bears no resemblance to a fox.[4]

There is a gap in the distribution of the foxfish off the coast of Victoria and the eastern and western populations show morphological differences and may be separated into different species.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Russell, B.; Choat, H.; Pollard, D.; Fairclough, D. (2010). "Bodianus frenchii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T187506A8553413. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T187506A8553413.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Bodianus frenchii" in FishBase. August 2019 version.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Foxfish, Bodianus frenchii (Klunzinger, 1880)". Australian Museum. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Gomon, M.F. & Bray, D.J. (2019). "Bodianus frenchii". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  5. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Cossyphus frenchii". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 28 December 2019.

Sources

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