Ballina Angelfish

Scientific Name: Chaetodontoplus ballinae
Family: Angelfish – Pomacanthidae
Maximum Size: 20cm
Identification: White with black upper body, tail and pectoral fins yellow to orange, dark snout tip and triangular eye mask.
Favourite: Solitary or form small groups.
Hide-out: Coral or rock reef in 10-80m.
Location: N. New South Wales (Coffs Harbor, Ballina, Solitary Is.) and Lord Howe I. Generally rare, but common at Ball’s Pyramid near Lord Howe I.

Banded Scat

Scientific Name: Selenotoca multifasciata
Family: Scat – Scatophagidae
Maximum Size: 28cm
Identification: Silvery; black bars on back form into spots on lower body; sharp fin spines and small scales.
Favourite: Usually form groups.
Hide-out: Estuaries, mangrove creeks and lower reaches of stream to 5m.
Location: Asian Pacific – N. Australia and S. New Guinea to New Caledonia.

Spotted Scat

Scientific Name: Scatophagus argus
Family: Scat – Scatophagidae
Maximum Size: 30cm
Identification: Greenish brown to silvery with numerous brown to red-brown spots. Juveniles have alternating light and dark bars.
Favourite: Form aggregations.
Hide-out: Sheltered bays, harbors and mangrove creeks to 5m.
Location: Indo-West Pacific – Arabian Gulf to Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea and Fiji. S.W. Japan to Australia.

Moorish Idol

Scientific Name: Zanclus comutus
Family: Moorish Idol – Zanclidae
Maximum Size: 16cm
Identification: Three wide black and two pale yellow bars; yellow saddle marking on long protruding snout; long trailing dorsal fin filament.
Favourite: Solitary, in pairs or groups; feed primarily on sponges.
Hide-out: Lagoons and outer reefs to 180m.
Location: Indo-Pacific – E. Africa to Micronesia, Hawaii, Polynesia, Mexico and Galapagos. S.W. Japan to Great Barrier Reef.