Crested weedfish

Educational value

• This specimen of crested weedfish has special significance because it is the one that was described in 1902 by the naturalist Sir James Hector (1834-1907) - Hector was appointed in 1865 as the first director of the Colonial Museum, the forerunner of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
• James Hector used this specimen as a holotype, that is the specimen on which the description and name of a new species is based - however, further studies of specimens in the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris showed that the species had already been described as 'Cristiceps aurantiacus' by Frances de Castelnau in 1879; Hector's name for the species, 'Auchenopterus aysoni', is a synonym, but is not in current usage.
• A holotype provides a constant and reliable reference specimen on which the species name is based, enabling comparative studies to be carried out on different populations of the same species - holotypes are important working tools for scientists, who must study many specimens to build a full understanding of a species.
• A specimen such as this one provides a good illustration of the role of holotypes in science - the original description of a species is often not comprehensive, meaning that scientists need to consult the holotype to confirm identity; in particular, with species that were initially described more than a century ago, the careful examination of the holotype is essential to fill in missing information.
• The crested weedfish has an unusual dorsal fin - the high first part, the 'crest', which has three spines, originates above the eye while the long-based second part has 29 to 30 spines, and 6 to 7 rays; crested weedfish can grow to 18 cm in length and occur primarily in temperate marine waters around New South Wales in Australia and the north of New Zealand.

Year level

2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12

Topics Canoeing Classification