False puffer
Paraluteres prionurus
Southern Pygmy Leatherjacket
Brachaluteres jacksonianus
About
This tiny filefish is barely bigger than a golf ball, reaching only about 10 cm, and is found only in the temperate waters of southern Australia. Its round, puffed-up shape makes it easy to miss among reef growth.
Also known as: pygmy leatherjacket, pigmy leatherjacket
- Length
- 10 cm
- Depth
- up to 73 m
How to tell it apart
Most filefish have a flatter, more oval outline, so this species' near-circular, ball-like body is the easiest mark to spot it by at a glance.
Appearance
The body is round, almost ball-shaped, and can be inflated further like a small balloon. Colour is highly variable, from pale yellow-brown to dark green, patterned with dark and light stripes, spots, or eye-like rings called ocelli. A single fish can shift its colour during courtship.
Did you know?
This fish can change its own colouring while courting a mate, without needing to hide or camouflage.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
