Common Name: Halfbanded Seaperch

Distribution: Abundant in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed throughout the western Pacific region: endemic to Australia. Recorded from southern Queensland to the east coast of Tasmania.

Ecological Notes: Frequents estuarine and coastal coral and rocky reefs. Common in habitats dominated by sponges, depth to 50 m.

Additional Notes: Pale pink to red body with a series of incomplete pale bands, white spot high above pectoral fin base. Similar habit to Hawkfishes but distinguished from this family by the lack of cirri on spinous dorsal fin spines. Rests on pectoral fins and feeds both in the water column and on the substrate. Grows to 20 cm.

References: Kuiter, R. H., Coastal Fishes of South-Eastern Australia. Published by Crawford House Press Pty. Ltd., 1993. p.136.

Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=hypoplectrodes+maccullochi. Accessed 01/06/18.

FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. https://fishbase.ca/summary/Hypoplectrodes-maccullochi.html. Accessed 01/06/18.