Pineapplefish

The pineapplefish is native to coastal waters off Queensland, New South Wales, and Western Australia.

The Pineapplefish lives in the reef-associated, marine, depth range 6 - 200 m environment.

Pineapplefish-A fish that Actually looks like a piece of fruit

The Pineapplefish (Cleidopus gloriamaris) bears an uncanny resemblance to the pineapple fruit. This unusual fish comes from the Monocentridae family and was first described in 1882 by Charles De Vis in Queensland. Also referred to as the Knightfish or Pinecone fish, this species of fish is very easily recognized by its yellow scales that are outlined in black. The scales of the Pineapplefish are very strong and like an armor which helps to protect the fish from predators like large reef sharks and octopuses.

This species is found on the west and east coasts of the continent of Australia. However, it has not been recorded in areas of Tasmania, southern Australia, and in Victoria. Typically the Pineapplefish prefers habitats in estuaries and close to the coastline. Although they make their home in rocky reefs in 6 to 200 meters (20–660 ft) of water, the Pineapplefish has been discovered at depths of 250 meters.

Growing to a maximum length of about 25 cm (10 in.) and a weight up to 2.3 kg (5 lbs.), the Pineapplefish has the ability to glow at night. There is a small organ found on either side of its lower jaw that produces a greenish like glow. As the fish matures the organ changes colors from green to red. At night the fish will use the light to attract tiny microscopic prey to feed on. There is also a very similar looking species (Monocentrus japonicus), which is called the Japanese Pineapplefish that can be found in the waters of Australia as well. Although, this species can be identified by its snout which is more rounded than the Cleidopus gloriamaris species.

The Pineapplefish is actually a very popular species to look for when scuba diving. Since they tend to hide quite often in rocks and caves, it can be difficult to photograph them. This species of fish is well liked by those who enjoy the hobby of keeping an aquarium. Some enthusiasts have reported that the fish can live up to 10 years inside a private aquarium. Even though this fish has a sweet name, it is not particularly good eats. The Pineapplefish has been noted as making a great fish to pair with others in aquariums, and they currently not endangered.

Picture of the pineapplefish by richard ling, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

Common names

Australian pineapplefish in English
Australsk koglefisk in Danish (dansk)
Coat-of-mail fish in English
Knight fish in English
knightfish in English
Luminescent pineconefish in English
Mailfish in English
Natipolo in Other
Pineapple fish in English
Pineapplefish in English
Pinecone fish in English
Pineconefish in English
Port and starboard bightfish in English
port and starboard light fish in English
West Australian knight fish in English
澳洲光頜松球魚 in Mandarin Chinese
澳洲光颌松球鱼 in Mandarin Chinese

Custom Search