Red morwong
(Morwong fuscus)

The red morwong has a relatively short and deep and compressed body, its depth being 39-45% of its standard length. It has a moderately sized head and a steeply sloped back.

There are two pairs of bony protuberances in the adults, a pair on tip of snout immediately above upper lip and a second pair to the front of eyes.

It has quite small eyes and a small mouth which does not extend as far back as the eyes. The lips are thick and fleshy and there is a wide band small, pointed tee at the front of each jaw, tapering to a single row at the sides.

The low dorsal fin is continuous with long base, originating above the rear margin of the preoperculum. It contains 17 spines and 30-34 soft rays. There only a slight notch between spiny and soft rayed parts, The soft rayed part is uniform in height, the soft rays being a little taller than the rearmost spine. The anal fin is triangular in shape with a short base and its centre is underneath the soft rayed part of the dorsal fin. The anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The caudal fin is forked, both lobes having rounded tips. The pectoral fin is of moderate size, the upper rays are branched while the lower rays simple and robust, the highest 2-3of the simple rays are extended and extend to just past the origin of anal fin. The pelvic fins are small, and are placed noticeably lower and to the rear of the origin of the pectoral-fin.

This species attains a maximum total length of 65 cm (26 in).

This fish is reddish-brown dorsally with a light coloured cheek and abdomen. There are white bars in front of and on the shallow caudal peduncle and on the caudal fin. The eyes have white marking on the space between them and above each eye. The pectoral fin bases have dark spots while the fins themselves are pale pink and the other fins are light in colour with pale with wide dark margins and a thin white outer edge. Individuals fade to completely light coloured with around 7 to 8 dark blotches or bars along the middle of the flanks. The juveniles are pale with clear bands.

Distribution and habitat

The red morwong is found only in the south western Pacific Ocean. In Australia its range extends from Bundaberg in Queensland south as far as Mallacoota in Victoria, it may even reach as far west in Victoria as Cape Conran. It is also found at Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. In addition it is found in the north est of the North Island of New Zealand. The adults are typically seen in schools on rocky reefs at depths down to approximately 30 m (98 ft). The juveniles can be found on reefs cloaked in algae.