Rudie Hermann Kuiter, Aquatic Photographics, Australien
Info
Melanophorichthys posidonus is a small, slender, light green to pale brown or semi-transparent scute, with males and females showing different color patterns.
This species is endemic only to southern Australia from Wilsons Promontory, Victoria, to the Gulf of St. Vincent, South Australia, including Kangaroo Island.
Melanophorichthys posidonus was photographed on seagrass stalks, but also on leafy macroalgae bands (Caulerpa scalpelliformis) and on an undescribed sponge.
Melanophorichthys posidonus and Melanophorichthys parvipsittus occur in symbiosis in seagrass beds along the coast of St. Leonards in Port Phillip (Victoria) and probably elsewhere.
The belly is greenish with a band of small black spots along the lower two thirds of the body.
The back is sometimes transparent with a line of brown spots along the midline, a whitish irregular stripe sometimes runs along the underside of the body.
The dorsal and anal fins are green with lighter markings, a brownish line sometimes runs along the side of the snout through the eye to the edge of the eye socket.
The color differences between the sexes are most pronounced during the winter breeding season, with females developing a distinct pied appearance with light and dark spots.
Etymology. The epithet of the species is derived from the genus name “Posidonia”, a genus of marine flowering plants of the Posidoniaceae family known as seaweeds.
The genus name Posidonia itself is derived from the Greek god of the sea, Poseidon.
We would like to thank Hermann H. Kuiter, Australia, for the photos of Melanophorichthys posidonus.
This species is endemic only to southern Australia from Wilsons Promontory, Victoria, to the Gulf of St. Vincent, South Australia, including Kangaroo Island.
Melanophorichthys posidonus was photographed on seagrass stalks, but also on leafy macroalgae bands (Caulerpa scalpelliformis) and on an undescribed sponge.
Melanophorichthys posidonus and Melanophorichthys parvipsittus occur in symbiosis in seagrass beds along the coast of St. Leonards in Port Phillip (Victoria) and probably elsewhere.
The belly is greenish with a band of small black spots along the lower two thirds of the body.
The back is sometimes transparent with a line of brown spots along the midline, a whitish irregular stripe sometimes runs along the underside of the body.
The dorsal and anal fins are green with lighter markings, a brownish line sometimes runs along the side of the snout through the eye to the edge of the eye socket.
The color differences between the sexes are most pronounced during the winter breeding season, with females developing a distinct pied appearance with light and dark spots.
Etymology. The epithet of the species is derived from the genus name “Posidonia”, a genus of marine flowering plants of the Posidoniaceae family known as seaweeds.
The genus name Posidonia itself is derived from the Greek god of the sea, Poseidon.
We would like to thank Hermann H. Kuiter, Australia, for the photos of Melanophorichthys posidonus.
