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WHITE-EAR FACTS |
Description
Body deep, head blunt, dorsal fin long-based, caudal fin forked with rounded tips. Yellowish-brown to blackish-grey with a white patch on the gill cover (operculum) at all sizes. Small juveniles bright orange with iridescent blue markings above, and a blue 'eye-spot' on the dorsal fin. Maximum total length 14 cm. White-ears differ from Scalyfins in always having a white spot on the gill cover.
Grazes a patch of algae and aggressively defends its territory during the breeding season. Males guard and fan the developing eggs.
Author credit: Dianne J. Bray, Dr Martin F. Gomon / Museum Victoria
Habitat
Exposed reefs and rock pools, to depth of 30 m.
Food
Algae
Range
New Zealand and south-eastern Australia.
Species Description is from Museums Field Guide, Atlas of Living Australia at website at https://lists.ala.org.au Licensed under Creative Commons Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Classification
| Class: | Actinopterygii | | Order: | Perciformes | | Family: | Pomacentridae | | Genus: | Parma | | Species: | microlepis | | Common Name: | White-Ear |
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