Warning

This information was published in 1966 in An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock. It has not been corrected and will not be updated.

Up-to-date information can be found elsewhere in Te Ara.

SPOTTY

Spotty is the name given to the small, rocky-shore fish Pseudolabrus celidotus, found in shallow water throughout New Zealand. It reaches 8 in. in length and is yellowish brown in colour, sometimes green, with a large dark blotch below the dorsal fin. The spotty has several brilliantly coloured relatives in New Zealand, commonly called parrot fish, although they belong to the Wrasse family. Among these are the scarlet parrot fish (soldiers) and banded parrot fish (kelpies).

by Lawrence James Paul, B.SC., Fisheries Division, Marine Department, Wellington.

Co-creator

Lawrence James Paul, B.SC., Fisheries Division, Marine Department, Wellington.