Fanbelly Leatherjacket

The fan-bellied leatherjacket grows to a total length of about 40 centimetres (16 in). It is a laterally-compressed fish recognisable by the upturned, pointed snout, the filamentary extension on the fan-shaped caudal fin, and the large dewlap on the underside of the fish. The foremost dorsal fin consists of a long erectile spine with a shorter one behind it. The hindermost dorsal fin has 28 to 34 soft rays and the anal fin has 27 to 34 soft rays. The colour is variable depending on its environment, being dark when swimming over beds of mussels and cream or tan when above a sandy seabed. In each case there are irregular darker blotches and streaks.

The fan-bellied leatherjacket is native to the Indo-Pacific. Its range extends from Malaysia and southern Japan, through Indonesia and Samoa to western, northern and eastern Australia. It is a demersal species and is found in estuaries and on algae-clad rocky coasts as well as over muddy and silty seabeds, on seagrass meadows and on reefs, both on and offshore, to depths of about 50 m (164 ft).