Nelusetta ayraud (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)
Chinaman-leatherjacket
Nelusetta ayraud
photo by FAO

Family:  Monacanthidae (Filefishes)
Max. size:  100 cm TL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 3,500.0 g; max. reported age: 9 years
Environment:  demersal; marine; depth range 0 - 360 m
Distribution:  Eastern Indian Ocean: southern Australia, from Western Australia to New South Wales. The species is considered to be endemic to Australia, although a single specimen has been reported from New Zealand (Ref. 30464).
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 2-2; Dorsal soft rays (total): 30-36; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 30-34. Whitish, pale yellowish brown, pale greyish brown or reddish, often with four brown stripes along sides; second dorsal and anal fins yellow; caudal fin rays yellowish brown, intervening membranes dusky. Pelvic fins rudimentary (Ref. 33839).
Biology:  Adults are found on the continental shelf and slope, while juveniles school seasonally in inshore waters (Ref. 9563). Juvenile ocean jackets have been caught in seagrass, over bare sand and on rocky reefs (Ref. 6390). Adults however, tend to be absent from seagrass areas (Ref. 6390). Are carnivorous, feeding mainly on salps. Other food items in the diet include gastropod mollusks, crustaceans and fish (Ref. 30465). Sold as fresh trunks (Ref. 6390).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 17 July 2017 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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