The pink maomao (''Caprodon longimanus''), also known as the longfin perch, is a species of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or hor ...

, a member of the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Anthiinae Anthias are members of the family Serranidae and make up the subfamily Anthiinae. Anthias make up a sizeable portion of the population of pink, orange, and yellow reef fishes seen swarming in most coral reef photography and film. The name Anthi ...

which is part of the

grouper Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes. Not all serranids are called "groupers"; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name "grouper" is u ...

and sea bass

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Serranidae The Serranidae are a large family of fishes belonging to the order Perciformes. The family contains about 450 species in 65 genera, including the sea basses and the groupers (subfamily Epinephelinae). Although many species are small, in some case ...

. It is found in the southern Pacific and the southeastern Indian Ocean.

Description

The pink maomao has long and pointed

pectoral fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...

s, longer than the head, a long based

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through conv ...

and a caudal fin which is slightly forked. The

has 10 spines and 19-21 soft rays while the

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

has 3 spines and 7-9 soft rays. In specimens from the eastern specific there are 58-65 scales in the

lateral line The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelial ...

while in specimens from the western Pacific there are 61-71 lateral line scales. The females are an overall mauvish pink colour whil the males are a similar colour but may show blackish blotches on the back and upper flanks and on the dorsal fin and males also have yellowish dorsal, caudal, anal and pelvic fins. The maximum recorded fork length is but they are more commonly recorded at fork lengths pf and they normally weigh around but can reach .

Distribution

The pink maomao is found in the southeastern Indian Ocean off

Rottnest Island Rottnest Island ( nys, Wadjemup), often colloquially referred to as "Rotto", is a island off the coast of Western Australia, located west of Fremantle. A sandy, low-lying island formed on a base of aeolianite limestone, Rottnest is an A-class ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

and in the south western Pacific Ocean off eastern Australia from

Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 as per 2021 census. The Gumbaynggirr ...

to Bermagui in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, around

Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland P ...

and

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...

in the

Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea (Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abe ...

, the Kermadec Islands south to

D'Urville Island D'Urville Island (), Māori language, Māori name ' ('red heavens look to the south'), is an island in the Marlborough Sounds along the northern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It was named after the France, French List of explorers, ...

and Kaikoura in New Zealand, especially in the north island. They also occur in the southeastern Pacific around

Easter Island Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearl ...

, the Juan Fernandez Islands, the

Nazca Ridge The Nazca Ridge is a submarine ridge, located on the Nazca Plate off the west coast of South America. This plate and ridge are currently subducting under the South American Plate at a convergent boundary known as the Peru-Chile Trench at approx ...

and the

Isla Salas y Gómez Isla Salas y Gómez, also known as Isla Sala y Gómez ( rap, Motu Motiro Hiva), is a small uninhabited Chilean island in the Pacific Ocean. It is sometimes considered the easternmost point in the Polynesian Triangle. Isla Salas y Gómez and its s ...

. It has also been reported from the Hawaiian Islands.

Habitat and biology

The pink maomao is found near inshore reefs and its habits are both benthopelagic and

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...

. It feeds on

zooplankton Zooplankton are the animal component of the planktonic community ("zoo" comes from the Greek word for ''animal''). Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents, and consequently drift or are carried along by ...

and small swimming organisms. It can also occur on the outer edge of the

continental shelf A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an island ...

, and around seamounts. Analysis of stomach contents of fish caught in the Juan Fernandez Islands of Chile showed that this species is opportunistic in its choice of prey, the commonest prey item found were

salps A salp (plural salps, also known colloquially as “sea grape”) or salpa (plural salpae or salpas) is a barrel-shaped, planktic tunicate. It moves by contracting, thereby pumping water through its gelatinous body, one of the most efficient ...

of the genus ''

Thalia Thalia, Thalía, Thaleia or Thalian may refer to: People * Thalia (given name), including a list of people with the name * Thalía (born 1971), Mexican singer and actress Mythological and fictional characters * Thalia (Grace), one of the three ...

'' but this study found that a total of 17 genera of crustaceans were consumed, as well as pteropods, chaetognaths and polychaetes. During the day pink maomao form schools, often mixed with silver trevally (''

Pseudocaranx georgianus Silver trevally, ''Pseudocaranx georgianus'', (also known as skippy, skipjack trevally and silver bream) is a jack of the family Carangidae found around the coast of Australia and New Zealand. Description The fish can grow to a length of and w ...

''), yellowtail horse mackerel (''Trachurus novaezelandiae'') and blue mackerel (''Scomber australasicus''), retreating to rocky areas to spend the night. This species is a

protogynous hermaphrodite Sequential hermaphroditism (called dichogamy in botany) is a type of hermaphroditism that occurs in many fish, gastropods, and plants. Sequential hermaphroditism occurs when the individual changes its sex at some point in its life. In particular, ...

, they are hatched as females and may change sex to become male. Juvenile fish are only occasionally observed suggesting that this species breeds infrequently in low numbers.

Taxonomy

The pink maomao was first formally described as ''Anthias longimanus'' in 1859 by the Germany-born British zoologist

Albert Günther Albert Karl Ludwig Gotthilf Günther FRS, also Albert Charles Lewis Gotthilf Günther (3 October 1830 – 1 February 1914), was a German-born British zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. Günther is ranked the second-most productive re ...

(1830-1914) with the type locality not being stated but though to be Australia. Studies in New Zealand suggest that there are two species occurring there, one from the Kermadec Islands and the other from the North Island and the west Norfolk Ridge.

Fisheries

The pink maomao has thick, white flesh which is excellent eating and it is pursued by spearfishermen but is infrequently caught by line fishermen. Bag limits are in place in New Zealand.

References

* Ayling, T. & G. Cox. ''Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand''. William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand. 1982. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pink maomao pink maomao Marine fish of Southern Australia Marine fish of New Zealand Fish of the Pacific Ocean Fish described in 1859 Taxa named by Albert Günther