Introduction

The family Enoplosidae comprises a single marine species, commonly known as the Old Wife. These fishes are confined to temperate Australia.

The Old Wife inhabits inshore rocky reefs, frequently among kelp beds at depths between about three and 100 metres, where it feeds on small invertebrates. The compressed, oval body, prominent black and white bars, and spike-like soft dorsal and anal fins are distinctive. The maximum size is about 23 cm.

Steene (1978) and Edgar (2008) provided diagnostic colour images of the Old Wife.

General References

Edgar, G.J. 2008. Australian Marine Life: the plants and animals of temperate waters. Sydney : Reed New Holland 2nd edn, 624 pp.

Gomon, M.F. 2008. Families Enoplosidae and Pentacerotidae. pp. 609-617 in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.

Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & Allen, G.R. 2006. Fishes. In, Beesley, P.L. & Wells, A. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 35. Volume 35 Australia : ABRS & CSIRO Publishing Parts 1-3, 2178 pp. [1310]

Steene, R.C. 1978. Butterfly and Angelfishes of the World. Australia. Sydney : A.H. & A.W. Reed Vol. 1 144 pp. 216 figs.

Waite, E.R. 1921. Illustrated catalogue of the fishes of South Australia. Records of the South Australian Museum (Adelaide) 2(1): 1-208 293 figs pl. 1 [fig. 178]

Common Name References

Hutchins, J.B. 2001. Enoplosidae. p. 3287 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 5 2791-3379 pp. [3287] (Old Wife)

History of changes

• Enoplosus Lacépède, B.G. 1802. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : chez Plassan Vol. 4 728 pp. 16 pls. [540].

  Type species:

   Enoplosus white Lacépède, 1802 by monotypy (= Chaetodon armatus White, 1790).

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Australian Endemic.

IMCRA

Central Western Shelf Province (29), Southwest Shelf Transition (30), Southwest Shelf Province (31), Great Australian Bight Shelf Transition (32), Spencer Gulf Shelf Province (33), Western Bass Strait Shelf Transition (34), Bass Strait Shelf Province (35), Tasmanian Shelf Province (36), Southeast Shelf Transition (37), Central Eastern Shelf Province (38), Central Eastern Shelf Transition (39)

History of changes

• Chaetodon armatus White, J. 1790. Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales with sixty-five plates of non-descript animals, birds, lizards, serpents, curious cones of trees and other natural productions. London : Debrett 299 pp. 65 pls. [254, pl 39 (fig. 1)].

  Type data:

   Status unknown, whereabouts unknown, between Broken Bay and Botany, NSW.
• Gasterosteus serratus Forster, J.R. 1792. Tagebuch ein der Reise nach Neu-Südwallis … erstem Wunderzte der in Port Jackson angelegten neuen Kolonie (J. White). Magazin vol merkwürdigen neuen Reisebeschreibungen 9: 1-287 [not seen].

  Type data:

   Status unknown, whereabouts unknown, Botany Bay, NSW.
• Enoplosus white Lacépède, B.G. 1802. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : chez Plassan Vol. 4 728 pp. 16 pls. [540] [unnecessary nom. nov. for Chaetodon armatus White, 1790].
• Enoplosus serotinus De Vis, C.W. 1911. A second species of Enoplosus. Annals of the Queensland Museum 10: 29 [29].

  Type data:

   Holotype QM I.117, Cairns, QLD [type locality outside known range and probably incorrect].

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• McCulloch, A.R. 1929. A check-list of the fishes recorded from Australia. Part II. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 5: 145–329 [252]

Generic Combinations

• Enoplosus armatus (White, 1790). —
  Lacépède, B.G. 1802. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : chez Plassan Vol. 4 728 pp. 16 pls. [540] (changed combination and replacement of species name with Enoplosus white)

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Wide Bay, QLD (25°52'S) to South Passage, Shark Bay, WA (26°08'S) and northern and eastern TAS; temperate.

Australian Endemic.

IMCRA

Central Western Shelf Province (29), Southwest Shelf Transition (30), Southwest Shelf Province (31), Great Australian Bight Shelf Transition (32), Spencer Gulf Shelf Province (33), Western Bass Strait Shelf Transition (34), Bass Strait Shelf Province (35), Tasmanian Shelf Province (36), Southeast Shelf Transition (37), Central Eastern Shelf Province (38), Central Eastern Shelf Transition (39)

Distribution References

Ecological Descriptors

Estuary, inshore, marine, rock reef, seagrass.

Extra Ecological Information

1-100 m, often amongst kelp.

General References

Edgar, G.J. 2008. Australian Marine Life: the plants and animals of temperate waters. Sydney : Reed New Holland 2nd edn, 624 pp. [528]

Gomon, M.F. 2008. Families Enoplosidae and Pentacerotidae. pp. 609-617 in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp. [609-610]

Hutchins, J.B. 2001. Enoplosidae. p. 3287 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 5 2791-3379 pp. [3287]

Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp. [72, 134]

Hutchins, J.B. & Thompson, M. 1983. The Marine and Estuarine Fishes of South-western Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 103 pp. 345 figs.

Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp. [248]

Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp. [240]

Last, P.R., Scott, E.O.G. & Talbot, F.H. 1983. Fishes of Tasmania. Hobart : Tasmanian Fisheries Development Authority 563 pp. figs. [381]

Whitley, G.P. 1964. A survey of Australian Ichthyology. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 89(1): 11-127 [47] (1364)

Common Name References

Coleman, N. 1980. Australian Sea Fishes South of 30ºS. Lane Cove, NSW : Doubleday Australia Pty Ltd 309 pp. [192] (Zebrafish)

Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds) 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs. [628] (Angelfish, Moonlighter)

Hutchins, J.B. 2001. Enoplosidae. p. 3287 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 5 2791-3379 pp. [3287] (Old Wife)

Kuiter, R.H. 1992. Tropical Reef-Fishes of the Western Pacific, Indonesia and Adjacent Waters. Jakarta : PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama 314 pp. pls. [269] (Bastard Dory)

Last, P.R., Scott, E.O.G. & Talbot, F.H. 1983. Fishes of Tasmania. Hobart : Tasmanian Fisheries Development Authority 563 pp. figs. [382] (Zebra Fish)

Marshall, T.C. 1964. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coastal Waters of Queensland. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 566 pp. 136 pls. [269] (Zebra-fish)

Pollard, J. (ed.) 1980. G.P. Whitley's Handbook of Australian Fishes. North Sydney : Jack Pollard Publishing Pty Ltd 629 pp. [143] (Double Scalare)

Seafood Services Australia 2008. Australian Fish Names Standard. http://www.fishnames.com.au/. (Old Wife)

White, J. 1790. Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales with sixty-five plates of non descript animals, birds, lizards, serpents, curious cones of trees and other natural productions. London : J. Debrett xviii 299 pp. [publication date established from Duncan, F.M. 1937. On the dates of publication of the Society's 'Proceedings', 1859–1926. With an appendix containing the dates of publication of 'Proceedings', 1830–1858, compiled by the late F.H. Waterhouse, and of the 'Transactions', 1853–1869, by the late Henry Peavot, originally published in P.Z.S. 1893, 1913. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 107: 71–84] [254] (Long-spined Chaetodon)

History of changes