Barber perch

Barber perch
Caesioperca rasor
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Serranidae
Genus: Caesioperca
Species: C. rasor
Binomial name
Caesioperca rasor
(Richardson, 1839) [1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Anthias rasor Klunzinger, 1872
  • Lacepedia cataphracta Castelnau, 1873
  • Serranus rasor Richardson, 1839

The barber perch (Caesioperca rasor), also called the barber sea perch, red perch or Tasmanian barber is endemic to Australia, found from southern Victoria to south-western Western Australia, including Tasmania.[2]

Description

The barber perch is a laterally compressed, deep-bodied fish growing to a maximum length of 26 cm (10 in). Females and larger juveniles are a pinkish colour with a large black vertical bar on the flank towards the posterior end and a blue streak just under the eye. Smaller juveniles additionally have a black head. Males are similarly marked but their overall hue is silvery or yellowish. They additionally have blue margins to the fins and a small blue spot on each scale.[2]

It differs from the closely related Butterfly perch by having a more slender body and males are more blue with a darker bar, rather than blotch, on the side.[3] The two species sometimes form mixed shoals.[3]

Behaviour

The barber perch is a schooling species of fish which forms dense shoals at depths down to about 180 m (591 ft).[4] It is largely a piscivore.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 Bailly, Nicolas (2014). "Caesioperca rasor (Richardson, 1839)". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
  2. 1 2 Barber Perch, Caesioperca rasor (Richardson, 1839), Australian Museum, 19 May 2009.
  3. 1 2 Bray, Dianne. "Barber Perch, Caesioperca rasor". Fishes of Australia. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  4. ↑ "Caesioperca rasor (Richardson, 1839): Barber perch". FishBase. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
  5. ↑ Bulman, C.; Althaus, F.; He, X.; Bax, N. J.; Williams, A. (2001). "Diets and trophic guilds of demersal fishes of the south-eastern Australian shelf". Marine and Freshwater Research 52 (4): 537–548. doi:10.1071/MF99152.
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