YELLOWBELLY
FLOUNDER (Rhombosolea leporina)
Olive/green
on upper surface with a yellowish to white underside. They are
more oval than the similar sand flounder and have an average
length of around 35cm (reaching up to 50cm).
|
Live on average for two to four years and are found in harbours,
estuaries, and muddy bays, and along sandy coasts. Are widespread
around the coast of New Zealand. |
 |
Diet consists mainly of crabs and other palatable invertebrates.
Found down to a depth of around 50m.
Did
you know?
Flatfish such as flounder and sole initially have an eye on
both sides of their heads and swim like most other fish with
dorsal fin up and ventral fin down. When they grow to between
around 5mm and 10mm in length the left eye moves slowly around
to the right hand side of the fish and they start to swim with
their bodies flattened against the seafloor.
BLACK
FLOUNDER (Rhombosolea retiaria)
Synonymy: Patiki-mahoao, mud flounder, freshwater flounder
Has
distinctive colouration with a mottled grey-green upper surface
and a variable number of brick red spots.
Are
found around New Zealand in habitats ranging from shallow coastal
waters to estuaries to the higher reaches of streams and rivers.
Black flounder grow to an average length of 20-25cm long but
have been known to reach 45cm in length. Diet generally consists
of a range of invertebrates as well as assorted small fishes.
Did
you know?
Due to its unusual body position, like the other flounders the
black flounder uses its pectoral fin as a rudder when swimming,
raising it off its upper surface to help it steer.
SAND
FLOUNDER (Rhombosolea plebia)
Synonymy: Patiki, square flounder, dab
Upper
surface can vary with the colour of the seafloor but is generally
grey, greenish or brown with faint darker markings.
Are
more common around the South Island of New Zealand, occurring
out to depths of around 100m, but most commonly to around 50m.
Square flounder occur in similar habitats to the yellowbelly
flounder but prefer more openwater situations with a firmer
substrate i.e. sand compared with mud. Diet and size is also
similar to the yellowbelly flounder but they are thought to
live longer, with an average lifespan of five years.
Did
you know?
The square flounder’s life cycle is similar to the yellowbelly’s
with winter/spring spawning, juveniles in shallow nurseries,
high population turnover and rapid growth.
COMMON
SOLE
(Peltorhamphus novaezeelandiae)
Synonymy: New Zealand sole, English sole
Have
a green-grey upper surface with white underside. Are found around
New Zealand, but are more common in the south.
| They
may occur out to depths of over 100m but prefer habitats
such as broad bays and sheltered inshore waters. |
 |
Common sole grow to an average length of 25-35cm but can reach
up to 45cm. Diet generally consists of invertebrates such as
burrowing worms, brittlestars etc. which they can locate with
sensory organs located around their mouths.
Did
you know?
There are three other species of ‘sole’ in our waters,
the speckled sole (Peltorhamphus latus), the slender sole (Peltorhamphus
tenuis) and the lemon sole (Pelotretis flavilatus). The four
species are actually right-eyed flounders - they are not closely
related to the true Northern Hemisphere soles at all!
GIRDLED
WRASSE (Notolabrus cinctus)
A
pinky-brown fish with a dark vertical band down each side of
its body. Is found only in New Zealand and is most common around
reefs that are deeper than 15 metres.
It
is an inquisitive fish that is very active by day and can reach
a length of up to 40cm. Like all wrasse it has sharp teeth that
enable it to eat a variety of foods including shellfish, crabs,
worms and crustaceans.
Did
you know?
Girdled wrasse change sex from female to male at 20-28cm, but
unlike other wrasses this does not involve a colour change!
SCARLET
WRASSE (Pseudolabrus miles)
Synonymy: Puuwaiwhakarua, soldierfish or red soldier
Pink-red-scarlet
body colour depending on age but always with a black wedge near
the tail and a white chin.
| Are
found over rocky ground throughout New Zealand to depths
of up to 100m. Like all wrasse they have sharp protruding
teeth that enable them to eat a variety of invertebrates. |
 |
They readily take baited hooks and are often merely a nuisance
to anglers as they are not a popular food fish.
Did
you know?
Female and juvenile scarlet wrasse sometimes act as cleaner
fish, picking parasites off larger fish!
BLUE
MOKI
(Latridopsis ciliaris)
Synonymy: Moki, or trumpeters.
Blue-grey
on the back, often with darker bands, white below. Has thick,
fleshy lips that it uses to suck small animals from the seafloor.
Is widespread throughout New Zealand with adults being found
to depths of 150 metres. On average they reach 55-70cm in length
and the oldest fish can reach 30 years of age.
| Annually,
around August, Moki from all over New Zealand make spawning
migrations to the Gisbourne area and one tagged fish was
shown to have moved over 500km. |
 |
Did
you know?
Moki are a significant commercial species and during the 1970s
about 1000 t per year were taken.
COPPER
MOKI (Latridopsis forsteri)
Synonymy: Moki, or trumpeters.
A
silvery-white fish with several copper-brown stripes on the
back and a black margin on the trailing edge of the tail. More
common around southern New Zealand to depths of up to 150 metres.
| Their
average length is 30-60cm and they mature at roughly 5 years
of age. They often occur in association with blue moki,
but are much less abundant. |
 |
They are thought to undergo an annual spawning migration similar
to the blue moki but as yet are not well studied. They eat mainly
crustaceans but small fish and worms are also taken.
RED
MOKI (Cheilodactylus
spectabilis)
Synonymy: Nanua, Banded morwong
Red
moki are slow moving fish that are common around the North Island
and top of the South Island. They live in shallow water around
rocky reefs, and are active during the day.
| Their
thick lips are used to collect crabs, sea urchins, worms
and other creatures from rocks and seaweed on the seafloor.
They grow to 30-60cm and can live up to 60 years. |
 |
Males are normally solitary but females live in small groups.
As they are not shy fish, and can be easily caught, it is ‘frowned
on’ to spearfish for them.
Did
you know?
The red moki is not related to the blue moki found in our main
marine display. It, along with the tarakihi, blongs to a group
called the Morwongs.
CRESTED
BELLOWSFISH (Notopogon lilliei)
Synonymy: Snipefish
The
crested bellowsfish is one of six species of snipefish that
can be found in New Zealand’s waters. They have a hard
bony body with rough prickly skin, and a dorsal fin spine which
can be used for defence.
| They
live in schools at depths of 100-600m in New Zealand and
southern Australia. They feed on tiny plankton, which they
suck up with their long snout. It is thought that this long
snout may help them sneak up on prey when their body appears
further away. |
 |
Did
you know?
The name bellowsfish comes from the resemblance to an old-fashioned
fire bellows.
PORCUPINEFISH
(Allomycterus jaculiferus)
Synonymy: Koputotara
Porcupinefish
occur only in New Zealand, where they are widespread. They can
inflate themselves so that they appear larger to predators,
with the spines that cover their body standing erect as a secondary
defence mechanism.
| Inflating
themselves takes around a minute as they ingest water. They
generally feed on hard-shelled creatures such as crabs and
shellfish. The beak of the porcupinefish grows continually,
but is worn short by the hard-shelled animals it eats. Although
average length is 25-35cm they can grow up to 50-60cm. |
 |
Did
you know?
Once inflated, porcupinefish can be easily caught by SCUBA divers,
as they become hopeless swimmers.
RED
PIGFISH (Bodianus unimaculatus)
Synonymy: Pakurakura
Named
for the shape of their snout, the red pigfish lives close to
the seafloor, feeding on small sea creatures such as sea urchins,
sea anemones and crabs.
| They
are mostly found around the North Island. Red pigfish are
actually a type of wrasse and as such they start out life
as females changing later to males. |
 |
Males are mainly red and generally more than 30cm in length
whereas females are pinkish-white with red dashes. Full size
is about 45-50cm.
Did
you know?
The red pigfish was discovered on Captain Cook’s first
voyage to New Zealand in 1769.
SOUTHERN
PIGFISH (Congiopodus leucopaecilus)
Synonymy: Purumorua, Pigfishes, horsefishes.
Large head and pointed snout with erect spiny dorsal fin.
| Are
light to dark brown with bands of white and brown along
the middle of the body. They feed by sucking up small animals
through their snouts and are found in coastal waters where
weed and rocks are abundant. |
 |
They are docile, sedentary fish that can often be caught by
hand and are only found in New Zealand and South Australian
waters where they average 20-30cm in length
Did
you know?
Pigfish don’t have scales like many other fish but instead
have a leathery skin.
