Old Wife
Enoplosus armatus
- Class
- Ray-finned fish
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 3,426
- Most observed in
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
Enoplosus armatus, commonly referred to as the old wife (plural: old wives), is a species of centrarchiform ray-finned fish endemic to the temperate coastal waters of Australia. It is the only genus and species in the family Enoplosidae. It has a deep and compressed body and concave forehead. These features are characteristic of typical butterflyfishes. However, the old wife is easily distinguished by its silver-and-black, vertical, zebra-striped coloration, and by its two prominent dorsal fins. The second dorsal fin is very long and sickle-shaped. The fish grows up to 50 cm long. Its dorsal fins have bony, knife-like spines. These have no obvious venom groove nor gland. Nonetheless, the spines are widely considered to inflict a painful venom. The name "old wife" refers to the sound it makes when caught, caused by it grinding its teeth. Other vernacular names have included "bastard dory", "zebra-fish" (also used for Girella zebra), and "double scalare". It has a similar range and appearance to the Moonlighter (Tilodon sexfasciatus).
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Old wife”.