The Inky Depths #8: Southern Pygmy Leatherjacket
October 27, 2023 8:19 AM Subscribe
The Southern Pygmy Leatherjacket has a very compressed body, which is almost circular. The lower surface is made up of a large ventral flap (called a dewlap) which can be raised and lowered. The abdomen is also expandable by inflating. Like all the leatherjackets, the Southern Pygmy Leatherjacket lacks pelvic fins.
The colouration of the Southern Pygmy Leatherjacket is highly variable, ranging from a pale yellow-brown to dark green with small spots or ocelli. This variable colouration helps to camouflage the fish and often makes it very difficult to see. The colouration of this fish can change during courtship.
THEY CHANGE COLOR WHEN THEY FALL IN LOVE!
The species was described in 1824 by the French zoologist Jean René Constant Quoy and naturalist Joseph Paul Gaimard. The genus name "Brachaluteres" is derived from the Greek brachys (meaning "short") and the Latin luteus (meaning "yellow"). The species name "jacksonianus" refers to Port Jackson, the Sydney harbour where Quoy and Gaimard obtained samples of the fish for description.
Brachaluteres jacksonianus - as illustrated by Ferdinand Lucas Bauer (20 January 1760 - 17 March 1826) an Austrian botanical illustrator is widely held to be the greatest natural history painter of all time – and certainly the greatest to have worked in Australia. His work of biological illustration melds scientific accuracy with artistic verve.
(Related, from the State Library of New South Wales:)
The online experience Painting By Numbers - link to beautiful drawings of Bauer's work
Previously in Inky Depths:
The Inky Depths #7: Eels Give Me The Feels
The Inky Depths #6: Potato Grouper
The Inky Depths #5: Fish That Walk!
The Inky Depths #4: Slender Snipe Eel (Deep Sea Duck)
The Inky Depths #3: Pink See-Through Fantasia (Headless Chicken Monster)
The Inky Depths #2: Wobbegong (Carpet Shark)
The Inky Depths #1: The Whalefish
The species was described in 1824 by the French zoologist Jean René Constant Quoy and naturalist Joseph Paul Gaimard. The genus name "Brachaluteres" is derived from the Greek brachys (meaning "short") and the Latin luteus (meaning "yellow"). The species name "jacksonianus" refers to Port Jackson, the Sydney harbour where Quoy and Gaimard obtained samples of the fish for description.
Brachaluteres jacksonianus - as illustrated by Ferdinand Lucas Bauer (20 January 1760 - 17 March 1826) an Austrian botanical illustrator is widely held to be the greatest natural history painter of all time – and certainly the greatest to have worked in Australia. His work of biological illustration melds scientific accuracy with artistic verve.
(Related, from the State Library of New South Wales:)
The online experience Painting By Numbers - link to beautiful drawings of Bauer's work
Previously in Inky Depths:
The Inky Depths #7: Eels Give Me The Feels
The Inky Depths #6: Potato Grouper
The Inky Depths #5: Fish That Walk!
The Inky Depths #4: Slender Snipe Eel (Deep Sea Duck)
The Inky Depths #3: Pink See-Through Fantasia (Headless Chicken Monster)
The Inky Depths #2: Wobbegong (Carpet Shark)
The Inky Depths #1: The Whalefish
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posted by supermedusa at 9:08 AM on October 27, 2023 [1 favorite]