Kingdom Animalia Genus Cheilodactylus Phylum Chordata Rank Species | Family Cheilodactylidae Scientific name Cheilodactylus nigripes Higher classification Cheilodactylus Order Perciformes | |
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Similar Cheilodactylus, Dactylophora nigricans, Morwong, Red morwong, Perciformes | ||
The magpie perch, magpie morwong or black-striped morwong, Cheilodactylus nigripes, is a morwong of the genus Cheilodactylus, found off southern Australia and northern New Zealand from shallow depths to 250 m. Its length is between 30 and 50 cm. The species' range in Australian waters extends from Albany in Western Australia to Kiama in New South Wales, including South Australian, Victorian and Tasmanian waters. It lives on rocky reefs, where it feeds upon mollusks, polychaetes and algae. The magpie morwong is able to change its appearance by "turning off" its central black band almost instantly.
Magpie perch feeding
References
Magpie perch Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA