Olsen, AM

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NEW FISH RECORDS AND NOTES ON SOME UNCOMMON TASMANIAN SPECIES By A. M. OLSEN C.S.I.RD., Hobart ABSTRACT Biometricsl data are given of the fiTst adult Centroscymnus waitei. (Thompson), Scymnodon plunketi (Waite) and female Galeus boardmani (Whitley) caught in Australian waters. The follOWing fi"h also new records for Tasmania McCulloch,H alaelurus vincenti , dactylus Cuvier, rhomboidalis val'. gib-nosus McCulloch, PlllchelZus Waite and Ophioclinus gracilis Waite. New place localities are given for :-Diastobran-chus danae (Bruun I, M71raenichthys bl'eviceps Gunther, Paratmchichthys tmilli (Hutton), Bmma raii (Bloch), Arripis georgianu8 (Valenciennes), Gastemchisma melampus Richardson, Re:rea solandri (Cuvier), B01!ichthys angnstijrons Regan, Petmites johns toni (Saville Kent), Arenogobins bijrenatus (Kner) and Pataecus maculatus Gunther. INTRODUCTION The purpose of this paper is to record additions to the fish fauna and list extensions of localities for some uncommon fish. Biometrical data have been presented for some species. During the past seven years commercial fishing operations have extended into waters beyond the continental shelf and as a result, fish previously unknown from Australia, have been caught. Strange fish are being made available for identi-.fication by fishermen so much more readily now Snout tip to outer nostril Snout tip to eye Snout tip to spiracle Snout tip to 1st gill Snout tip to 2nd gill Snout tip to 3rd gill Snout tip to 4th gill Snout tip to 5th gill Snout tip to base of pectoral fin Snout tip to base of 1st dorsal fin Snout tip to base of pelvic fin Snout tip to base of 2nd dorsal Snout tip to base of lower caudal fin Snout tip to base of upper caudal fin Total length Trunk at pectoral origin breadth height Colour Locality Date 155 that they are able to hold specimens for long periods under refrigeration. Previously had experienced difficulty in preserving such It has been possible to make these additions to the fish fauna list only through the interest of fisher-men and the use of freezer storage. NEW AUSTRALIAN AND TASMANIAN RECOHDS Family SQUALIDAE Centroscymntls waitei (Thompson, 1930) deep-sea dogfish. Waite's This species was known previously only from the holotype, a juvenile male 318 mm. total length, taken on a long line in deep water off Kaikoura, New Zealand, August, 1928 (Garrick, 1955). . Both Tasmanian specimens listed here were caught on long lines on the continental shelf slope in 400-500 f. off the east coast of Tasmania. Scymnodon plunketi (Waite, 1910). Lord Plunket's Shark. One male, 1310 mm. and one female, 1370 mm., both mature, were taken under similar conditions to the previous species. On the basis of the capture of these fish. Munro (1956) listed these species, Nos. 81 and 82 in his Handbook of Australian Fishes. Cowper and Downie (1957) referred to the catching of more specimens of these species. Measurements (mm.) of both C. waitei and the female S. plunketi are as follows:-Centroscymnus Scyrnnodon waitei plunketi female female female male 18 9 33 46 29 60 101 71 150 134 99 227 144 104 236 149 109 245 159 113 250 167 116 180 116 274 347 189 270 643 331 765 726 360 835 830 445 1,023 875 455 1,070 1,070 588 1,370 1,310 90 200 50 175 Dark-brown Light-grey Light grey-brown Cont. slope 15m. N.E. Cant. slope 400 f. Maria Is. Wineglass Maria Is. Maria Is. Bay 10. v. 51 9. vii. 52 10. v. 51 16. vi. 53 156 NEW FISH RECORDS AND NOTES moved from the uteri. Two yolk sacs measured 45 x 50 mm. and 55 x 40 mm. NEW TASMANIAN RECORDS Family ORECTOLOBIDAE Parascyllium ferrugineum McCulloch, 1911. Rusty Catshark. Both catsharks were caught during March, 1952, in grab all nets off the Forestier Peninsula, East Coast. C. waitei. 1st dorsal origin behind posterior in-sertion of pectoral base. Distance between origins of 1st dorsal. and pelvic fins approximately twice total length of dorsal fin. Origin of second dorsal fin behind pelvic origin. Distance between inner corners of nostrils 1/22 length of body. Horizontal diameter of eye 2iJ vertical diameter. 1st dorsal origin approximately half way between 2nd dorsal and snout. 2nd dorsal origin 2/3 distance from snout to distal margin of caudal. Pectoral 1/5, and pelvic 3/5 distance from snout to distal margin of caudal. Placoid scales: The hollowed out upper surface of the blade, plus the lack of ridges, denti- Family SCYLIORHINIDAE culations and other sculpture are very character- Halaelurus vincenti (Zeitz, 1908). Gulf Catshark. istic of the genus Centroscymnus (Garrick, 1955). Previously this species of catshark was only Female 1070 mm.-the two uteri each contained k 6-12 recently ovulated eggs', liver lobes extended nown from South Australia and Victoria, but in May, 1951, a specimen was caught in a graball net full length of body cavity, the left one was the in George Bay, near St. Helens. Biometrical data longer. (mm) have been compared with those of two S. plunketi.-1st dorsal origin slightly in front Halaelurus analis (Ogilby). For convenience simi-of pectoral origin. Thirteen embryos, five males lar data have been listed in the same table for the and eight females averaging about 12 cm. were re- two specimens of P. ferrugineum Waite. Total length . . .. .. .. .. .. Snout tip to 1st dorsal .... Snout tip to 2nd dorsal Snout tip to origin of pectoral Snout tip to origin of ventral Snout tip to origin base anal Snout tip to base lower caudal ... Clasper length (to outer edge of membrane) Snout to anterior edge of pectoral Snout to anterior edge posterior insertion of pectoral Snout to anterior edge of ventral ... Snout to anterior edge posterior insertion of ventral Sex P. ferrugineum H. vincenti H. analis 825 784 462 574 614 420 390 215 260 277 580 540 305 380 403 130 78 96 97 315 208 224 520 510 266 320 338 665 630 354 445 466 130 150 315 365 Mature female 115 144 290 338 Mature female (ova 30 mm.) 67 43 46 78 96 98 166 202 Mature . male 119 208 254 ? male 120 255 Mature male 11 9 8 13 13 13 10 7 12 12 12 11 6 11 11 10 10 4 9 9 28 27 3 5 4 Length of gill opening 1 Length of gill opening 2 Length of gill opening 3 Length of gill opening 4 Length of gill opening 5 General colour .... Light grey-Grey back-Very dark-Light grey Light grey-brown ground, brown brown brown with grey very dark bands brown band Spots .... Very dark- Very dark-Creamy brown brown white Size of spots (diam. mm.) 5-8 5-8 Dark-brown 2-5 2-5 Galeus boardmani (Whitley, 1928). Sawtail Shark. This species was previously known only from males and the f. off Maria Island is the 1st record of its sex of this species. female caught on 2. vii. 52 in 300 Details of measurements (mm.) are as follows:-Snout tip to anterior edge of eye Snout tip to posterior edge of eye Snout tip to spiracle edge of eye Snout tip to 1st gill slit . Snout tip to 5th gill silt . Snout tip to base of pectoral Origin of vent Base of 1st dorsal Base of 2nd dorsal Base lower caudal fin Total length Weight 30 48 54 68 87 85 200 285 330 390 503 t lb. There were 14 transverse bands of dark colour on the dorsal surface, the anterior band extended between the eyes. There is a latex cast in the National Museum, Melbourne, the carcase has been lost. • A. M. OLSEN 157 Family BERYCIDAE Beryx decadrtctylus Cuvier, 1829. This fish Vias caught on a long line set on 17.1.52 in 300 f. off Maria Island. Previously its southern limits were over 100 f. in north-eastern Bass Strait. Family ZEIDAE Neocyttus rhomboidalis var. gibbosus McCulloch, 1914. Spiky Dory. This fish was caught during July, 1951, on a long line in 100 f. off Maria Island. The first record of this species was made by the F.LS. " En-deavour" dllring the 1912-13 operations in the Great Australian Bight. There are only three anal spines present in this specimen. Dimensions (mm,) :-Length of head to operculum 123 Depth of body at origin of 1st dorsal 192 Length to caudal fork (LCF) 340 Family OPHIOCLINIDAE Ophioclinus gracilis Waite, 1906. This blenny was present in the gut contents of juvenile school sharks caught on 26.viii.50 in George Bay (St. Helens). It is a common food fish for the small sharks in this estuary. Family ANTHIIDAE Anthias pulchellus Waite, 1899. Orange Perch A single specimen was trapped in a net-covered craypot attached to a long line set on 21.x.50 in 200 f. west of King Island. NEW PLACE LOCALITIES Family SYNAPHOBRANCHIDAE Diastobranchus danae (Bruun, 1937). Basket-work Eel. The adults of this eel were first caught on a long line set on 10.vii.51 in 100 f. off Maria Island. The writer sent a gravid female, 1225 mm. to Sydney for identification and the species was re-corded by Whitley (1952). Since then more eels have been caught on a long line on 8.v.53 in 600 f. west of King Island. Biometrical details (mm.) are as follows:-Maria Island 100 f. King Island 600 f. 1 2 1 2 3 Snout tip .to anterior edge of eye 43 55 40 42 33 Snout tip to posterior edge of eye 65 75 62 61 48 Snout tip to origin pectoral ... 147 170 134 130 102 Snout tip to vent .... .. .............. 252 290 235 205 175 Snout tip to origin dorsal 335 430 345 326 233 Maximum depth (end of pectoral) 73 83 75 75 Snout to nostril .... 10 17 14 13 11 Total length 1,085 1,225 1,005+ 985 777 Sex Weight (Ib') Family ECHELIDAE Muraenichthys breviceps Gunther, 1876. Short-headed worm eel. This eel occurs along the silty foreshore between Middleton and Gordon, D'Entrecasteaux Channel, where it is recognized by the reddish-brown colour it reflects from underwater lights. A specimen, T.L. 494 mm. was speared in this area on 22.x.57 by Mr. T. Wolfe. Family TRACHICHTHYIDAE Paratrachichthys trailli (Hutton, 1876). Sawbelly or Sandpaper fish. This species is generally considered as a deep-water inhabitant and usually is caught by trawling. On 28.iv.53, several were caught in a grab all at Freestone Point, Spring Bay. Two specimens brought in for identification measured L.C.F. 200 Snout to caudal fork (L.C.F.) Snout to operculum -Depth of body at 1st dorsal origin female female male ? (mature) (mature) 2i 4! 3i 3 1/16 It mm. and 185 mm. Another specimen L.C.F. 140 mm. was caught on 15.i.57 in a graball at Pilot Bay Beach, Cape Sorell. Family BRAMIDAE Brama raii (Bloch, 1791). Ray's Bream or Pomfret. As Lepidotus squamosus (Hutton, 1875) the first Tasmanian occurrences of Ray's bream were re-ported by Scott (1955) from Temma (July, 1953) and later the same year on a long line set on 20.x.53 in 250 f. E.S.E., Tasman Peninsula. A short time after this second report three more were caught, one at Port Davey (1954) and two in Storm Bay (2 and 12.iii.54), and another at Coles Bay (April, 1955). With the exception of the Coles Bay specimen which was caught by hand in shallow water, the others were hooked on tow lines. Measurements (mm.) of both Storm Bay specimens are as follows:-2.iii.54 273 69 112 12.iii.54 284 67 116 158 NEW FISH RECORDS AND NOTES The classification of Ray's bream is most con-tentious and because both Storm Bay specimens (the only ones available for study) had 57-59 transverse rows of scales (anterior to pectoral fin) , a lateral line and scales with finely toothed edges these speci.mens have been reported under the above more widely known, but not necessarily correct, name, Family ARRIPIDAE Arripis georgianns (Valenciennes, 1831). Tommy Rough. From specimens caught on 18.iii.3'1 at TOWll, Scott (1939) was able to add this to the Tasmanian fish fauna list. 1952, a number of these .fish were caught a seine net at Port Sorell which is now a new place I'ecord for this species. Total length Length to caudal fork Snout to anterior edge of eye Snout to posterior edge of eye Snout to operculum Snout to anterior insertion of pectoral Snout to anterior insertion of pelvic Snout to anterior insertion of anal Snout to 1st dorsal origin Snout to 2nd dorsal origin Length of pectoral fin Length of pelvic fin Depth of body Depth of body j origin of 1st dorsal i origin of 2nd dorsal Pamily GEMPYLIDAE Rexea solandri (Cuvier, 1831). King Barracouta. Formerly plentiful these fish are now taken mostly on long lines in deep water. On 12.i.56, a damaged living specimen was washed ashore on the Pilot Bay Beach, Cape Sorell. Family BOVICTIDAE Bovichthvs angusti!mns Regan, 1913. This gurnard -like fish is known only from two specimens, one in the British Museum from Tas-mania and the other in the Chatham Museum from an unknown locality. During April, 1950, a third fish was caught by Mr. S. E. Dale on a long line in 30 f. off South West Cape. It has been preserved in the collection of the C.S.I.R.O. Division of Fisheries and Oceanography, Cronulla, N.S.W. Family CLINIDAE Petraites johnstoni (Saville Kent, 1886). Weed fish. Formerly, this fish was known only from the Tamar River but many specimens mostly between 200-300 mm. total length have been received for identification from south-east Tasmania. As the common name indicates it is found close inshore in seagrass and seaweed beds. Family SCOMBRIDAlc Gasterochisma melamp'Us Richardson, 1845, Butterfly Mackere1. This rare oceanic species was first recorded in 1845 from New Zealand, It has been renorted three times previously from Tasmanian waters \ i) Bass Strait ( 1867) , (iii mouth of Derwent Estuary (T.1,. :39 ins.), (iii) Storm Bay (1944), On IS.vi,50 the fourth record, T.L. 710 mm., L.C.F. 632 mm., was caught on a tow line off South East. Cape and on 27.v.53J another fish L.C.F. 560 mm. was landed on a tow line in Spring Bay, While spearing flounders 011 the night of 30.v.54 in 4 feet of water inside the entrance of Pittwatm', Mr. K. Crome, Hobart, saw a school of 8-10 fish which used their pectoral fins for brakes as they approached underwater light. He speared two and submitted them for identifica-tion. They were butterfly mackerel and biometri-cal observations (mm.) of these and the South East Cape specimen are as follows:--South .East Cape Pittwater 710 632 57 72 141 157 150 400 68 370 90 14.0 (damaged) 160 150 1 2 288 251 253 228 19 15 28 24 56 49 58 51 57 50 150 133 61 56 142 123 28 22 88 80 ti4 56 48 47 Family GOBUDAE Arenigoblus bifrenatus (Kner, 1S65). Bridled goby. This viviparous go by , like Ophioclinus gracilis Waite mentioned earlier, forms a part of the diet of juvenile school sharks in George Bay (St. Helens) . Specimens were collected in 1950 and identified by Mr. I. S. R. Munro, C.S.I.R.O. Division of Fisheries and Oceanography. Reference to their occurrence in George Bay was made earlier (Olsen, 1954). Whitley (1954) listed it as a new record for Tasmania from a specimen caught in West Arm, Tamar River. Family PATAECIDAE Pataeclls maclllatus Gunther, 1861. Warty Prow Fish, The presence of this fish in Tasmanian waters was not confirmed until 1936 (Scott. 1936), Speci-men No. 890 in the Queen Victoria Museum is from Northern Tasmania, probably Tamar Heads. A second specimen 195 mm. was caught during April, 1954, in a graball net at Port Sorell. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author wishes to acknowledge the assistance with identilcation of specimens received from Messrs. I. S. R. Munro, ichthyologist, C.S.I.R.O. Division of Fisheries and Oceanography, Cronulla. and G. P. Whitley, ichthyologist. Australian Museum. Sydney. A. M. OLSEN 159 REFERENCES COWPER, T. :It. AND DOWNIE, R. J., 1957.-A Line Fishing Survey of the Fishes of the South-Eastern Australian Continental Slope. C.S.I.R.O. Aust. Div. Fish. Oceanogr. Rep. No.5. GARRICK, J. A. F., 1955.-Studies on New Zealand Elasmo-branchii. Part IV. The Systematic Position of centro· 8cymnus waitei (Thompson, 1930) Selachii. Trans. Roy. Soc. N.Z. 83 (1): 227-239. MUNRO, I. S. R., 1956.-Handbook of Australian Fish. Fish. Newsl., 15 (8): 12. OLSEN. A. M., 1954.-The Biology, Migration, and Growth Rate of the School Shark Galeorhinus australis (Macleay) (Carcharhanidae) in South-eastern Australian waters. AUBt. J. Mar. Fre.shw. Res. {i (2): 353-410. SCOTT. E. 0 ~ G., 1936.-0bservations on Some Tasmanian Fishes: Part III. Pap. and Proc. Roy. Soc. Tasm., 1935 (1936): 113-129. SCOTT, E. O. G., 1939.-0bservations on Some Tasmanian Fishes: Part IV. Pap. and Proc. Roy. Soc. Tasm., 1938 (1939): 139-159. 1953,-~Observations on Some Tasmanian Fishes: Pa~t V. Pap. and Proc. Roy. Soc. Tasm., 87: 141-166. 1955.-0bservations on Some Tasmanian Fishes: Pa~t VII. Pap. and Proc. Roy. Soc. Tasm., 89: 131-146. WHITLEY, G. P., 1940.-The Fishes of Australia: Part I. The Sharks, Rays, Devil-fish and Other Primitive Fishes of Australia and New Zealand. Roy. Zool. Soc. N.S. W., Sydney. Australia. 27-32. 1952.-Some Noteworthy Fishes from Eastern Proc. R. Zool. Soc. N.S.W., 1950-51 (1952): .-----, 1954.-New Locality Records for Some Tas-manian Fishes. Proc. R. Zool. Soc. N.S. W., 1952-53 (1954): 23-30. 

New fish records and notes on some uncommon Tasmanian species

0 ~ G., 1936.-0bservations on Some Tasmanian Fishes: Part

Biology, Migration, and Growth Rate of the School Shark Galeorhinus australis (Macleay) (Carcharhanidae) in South-eastern Australian waters.

Fishes of Australia: Part I. The Sharks, Rays, Devil-fish and Other Primitive Fishes of Australia and

Line Fishing Survey of the

of Australian Fish.

on New Zealand Elasmobranchii. Part IV. The Systematic Position of centro· 8cymnus waitei (Thompson,

on Some Tasmanian Fishes: Part

New fish records and notes on some uncommon Tasmanian species

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