Drummers are medium to large fish with rounded
bodies. Blue Maomao, Sweep and Parore are most common on northern shores
of NZ. Silver Drummer is shy but not uncommon. Bluefish and Mado are found
on offshore islands. Males look exactly like females.
Kyphosidae (hunchbacks, Gk kuphosis=bent) or Drummers are coastal reef
fishes, found in tropical and warm temperate seas. This family contains
about a dozen species, six of which are commonly found in northern NZ.
They usually feed on encrusting invertebrate communities and algae but
Blue Maomao and Sweep feed mainly on plankton. Their bodies are thickly
built and oval shaped and they have one dorsal fin. They are identified
by their heads, body and median fins being covered in small, weakly ctenoid
(toothed) scales. Jaws have an outer row of fixed incisors with long curved
roots but there are no molars.
Kyphosids are an old fish family, its species having diversified: some
are plant eaters, others plankton, some feed on encrusting life and there
is one that even hunts.
.
'
-- home -- back --
top
-- Rev: 19971025,20010429, Kyphosus sydneyanus, Silver
Drummer (Au: Buffalo Bream)
Silver Drummer are weed eaters living in the
wave zone. They are very shy. They swim fast. They grow very old. They
seem to have angry faces, but they are very gentle.
The
Silver Drummer is a plump bodied fish, a bit like a swimming jerrycan with
a black-edged tail that looks much like a paint brush. It is also about
the same size as a spare gasoline container, from 30-75 cm and 10Kg when
mature. Seeing big, mature Silver Drummer as shown in this photograph,
is rare because they are so shy. They hide in caves and large crevices
in turbulent areas and they feed on the coarse bladder weeds of the wave-swept
subtidal habitat zone. When small they compete for the same food (fine
algae growing on tough seaweeds) as Parore but later in life they eat more
of the coarse weeds themselves (Carpophyllum species), of which
there apears to be ample supply. Because their food is so readily available,
Silver Drummer spend much of their time socialising and resting. They feed
mainly at dawn or dusk. Silver Drummer can change colour rapidly from a
pale grey without markings, to dark grey with horizontal pinstripes, to
evenly black.
Very
young Silver Drummer (half year to one year old) have light blue or white
spots and look very much like a different species. They find protection
in the roughest of places, high up in the surf zone in cracks and caves.
Around offshore islands, bigger schools of 50 or more are found swimming
in the foam zone. Silver Drummer are threatened by coastal setnets intended
to catch bait fish for craypots. They have become rare in many places.
Fishing: This species gives anglers such good sport, appearing
in numbers around ocean rocks where there is plenty of movement in the
water. They are rated highly because of their outstanding fighting abilities.
Drummer are very powerful fish and run with dramatic speed when hooked.
They are exciting fish to play as some grow to 30 pounds, They bite warily
but rush for sanctuary among the rocks immediately when they are hooked.
Real tackle-busters. Flesh greyish and dry with an unpleasant odour. The
bigger the fish, the worse its flesh. Not usually eaten.
Description:
body plump; size up to 75 cm, 10 Kg, 50-60 years old; colour light grey
to black with a darker grey on the back; black band on tail; powerful mouth
with close-set teeth forming a sharp cutting edge;
Fins: D XI 12; A II 10; P I 5; moderate scales.
Life history: Silver Drummer breed in NZ. Juveniles appear in
January- April.
Distribution: East coast of the North Island to East Cape and
Southern Australia. See map
Parore are weed eaters. They live close to
the mainland. They are smart. They can change colour. They live in small
groups and have a complicated social life. They always seem to smile.
The Girella with three-tipped teeth. (Girella=this fish type) (tri-=three,
triple) (cuspidare=pointed, cuspis=spear or three-pronged spear of Neptune)
Parore
are found in large numbers around northern New Zealand, particularly on
our NE coasts. Most start their lives in estuaries where they can be found
in schools of many hundreds. They prefer a diet of soft, thready algae
that grow on top of the bigger algae. By removing these, Parore provide
a cleaning service for these seaweeds. But they have also been seen gobbling
plankton shrimps (krill) and feeding on bait. They find their food easy
to get so they spend much time socialising and resting. When sleeping,
Parore congregate in sleeping dens, very sheltered bowls between rocks
or inside the deep parts of estuaries. In these dens, each Parore has its
own bed which it defends against others. When sleeping, Parore are nearly
black with light squares along its back fin. During the day they are normally
seen in pin-striped business suits like on this picture. But they can easily
change colour. When completely whitish, they are in a submissive mood,
like when being cleaned by little Trevally. When dark coloured, they appear
to be in an aggressive mood. There is no outward distinction between males
and females but in summer they can be found racing around promontories
in schools of many hundreds. In that season they can also be found grazing
symbolically while courting. Some fish are then jet black while others
are white, possibly signalling their sexual differences.
Being
watched by a group of Parore is like being surrounded by a bunch of cheeky
schoolkids. They play all sorts of games, like "who dares to come closest?"
"let's go around the diver's back", "let's play hide and seek". When observed
in aquariums, Parore spend much time sorting out who is boss, sometimes
creating a lot of unrest and wounding rivals. They also appear to play
politics of domination and group support. Many elements of behaviour point
to it being smarter than most other fish. Parore can grow old like the
other members of its family but average and maximum age are not known.
Parore like to be cleaned by young Trevally and they try to 'own' one
for themselves, going as far as allowing the little fish to sleep with
them. When sleeping, Parore lean on the bottom but stay just upright. Bottom
dwelling fish such as triplefins, come to clean them during the daytime
naps.
Schools of adult Parore often make deep excursions into tidal estuaries
where they nibble at mangrove trees and eelgrass. They also digest mouthfulls
of green ooze rich in diatoms. It is suspected that many lay their eggs
there. Their three-cusped teeth are sharp, forming a shearing edge with
which they can tear bits of seaweeds off plants, with a sideways movement
of their heads.
Fishing: Parore don't take the bait easily because they are plant
eaters and rather smart, but they are easily caught in set nets strung
across estuarine tide channels. One can catch a thousand big fish in a
single haul. In this manner, Parore have effectively been removed from
many estuaries. Cray fishermen catch Parore and other reef fish in their
set nets strung across coastal reefs, in order to bait their cray pots.
The meat of the Parore is soft and bland but the fish is not eaten because
of its supposed habit of eating human excrement. Since sewage is treated
everywhere before being discharged, this myth cannot be true.
Description:
Body elongate, sideways somewhat compressed. Mature length 40cm. Teeth
closely set together as a cutting edge (incisors). Teeth having three points,
from which its name derived (tricuspidata= three points). Females have
a dominant flat-topped central cusp, more pronounced than that of males.
Tail broad, muscular. Skin usually light grey with 10-12 thin vertical
stripes.
Fins: D XV 12; A III 12;P I 5;LL 50. Size 20-40cm. Weight 0.5-1.0
Kg.
Life history: Spawning Dec/Jan. Young fish Jan/Feb.
Distribution: Common on NE coast of NZ (250 fish per Ha) and
also found all around the North Island. E coast of Australia. See map.
Parore are much less common around offshore islands, compared with the
coast.
Girella cyanea, Bluefish
Bluefish are found only on some
offshore islands. They are big fish with an angry look about them. They
are very shy. They change colour.
The dark blue Girella. (Cyan= light blue, Gk kyan=light blue)
The Bluefish is a large fish (9 Kg) with an almost rounded body. It
is found around our offshore islands in clear water. Bluefish socialise
in small groups of 3 to 10 fish. Bluefish can change colour rapidly from
a deep dark blue to black and grey with orange specks.A protrusion above
their eyes, gives them an angry look by which they can be identified. Males
and females look alike. They feed on encrusting animal life rather than
plants.
Fishing : Bluefish will take a bait readily and run for cover
in caves and under large boulders. Their flesh is pleasant to eat.
f022327: a mature bluefish in dark blue costume. In the background
a silver drummer.
f041136: a young (6year) bluefish in light blue costume,
changing from blue to grey with orange specks.
Description:
Adults 40-75 cm, up to 9 Kg. Body large and deep. More pointed than Silver
Drummer. Long, low dorsal and anal fins and a strong, broad, square-cut
tail. Teeth three-cusped like Parore but set in rows. Feed on shellfish,
brittle stars, worms, crustaceans.
Fins: D XV 12; A iii 11; P I 5; moderate scales. Size 30-75 cm,
up to 9Kg.
Life history: Bluefish may not breed in NZ but juveniles may
arrive here by warm currents.
Distribution: Common on Kermadec Islands, east coast of Australia.
Found on NZ offshore islands: Poor Knights, Mayor I, White I. Also seen
at Kapiti I. See map.
Scorpis violaceus, Blue
Maomao
Blue Maomao have become the darlings of the
Goat Island marine reserve. They are very friendly. They normally school
in the currents around headlands. They eat animal plankton.
The Scorpis with the violet colour. (scorpis=????) (viola= violet flower
(L))
Blue
Maomao (violaceaous= violet coloured) are schooling fish that stay close
to the shore. They feed on animal plankton and sometimes nibble lush seaweeds
when plankton is in short supply. Mature Blue Maomao are deep blue above
and pale white underneath. They have a forked tail. Their bodies are sideways
flattened which allows them to manoever quickly. With their extendable
mouths they snap at plankton shrimps that they can herd together with the
entire school. They can make the surface foam, pushing their blue backs
out of the water. At night each Blue Maomao sleeps on its own spot against
the rock and its colour changes to become dark green and mottled. Sometimes
they sleep in groups above the sandy bottom in a sheltered spot. Males
and females look alike.
f000623: blue maomao waiting quietly for their turn to be
cleaned.
f045426: blue maomao inquisitively thronging to view the
photographer. Notice the sweep amongst them.
f023315: snorkeldiver and a resting school of blue maomao,
above Lessonia seaweed.
Blue Maomao spend much time socialising, when the tidal
currents fall slack and when food is plentiful. They like to be cleaned
by cleanerfish such as Trevally, Combfish and Crimson Cleanerfish, also
when there is no apparent reason for this. They also like to rub their
backs on pebbly bottoms or sharp points protruding from a rock wall. It
is part of their social behaviour. When seeing a diver, they never fail
to gather around for a good look or to bite at small bubbles.
f011937: three year old blue maomao in a typical school formation.
f034024: a free-diver following a school of young blue maomao.
When
young, Blue Maomao are not blue yet but they are grey with a yellow anal
fin. As they grow bigger, they become more blue and their anal fin loses
its yellow colour. As mature fish they are very blue indeed. The young
fish are found in very shallow water behind boulders and in crevices in
the wave zone, often in company of young Sweep that look very much alike.
Around the mainland, Blue Maomao are much smaller than around offshore
islands. It has been observed (JFA) that the coastal schools are threatened
by poor water conditions, resulting in short life spans and consequential
small size. All big Blue Maomao disappeared from our offshore islands and
coasts around October 1992, after which populations had to rebuild themselves.
It appears that Blue Maomao can grow 10-15 years old.
Fishing: Blue Maomao can easily be hooked on a small hook with
bait. Their flesh is very tasty and their guts are small, leaving much
edible flesh for such a small fish.
Description:
Body oval shaped, laterally compressed. Size 20-45 cm, 3 Kg max. Deeply
forked tail. Small flexible mouths with several rows of fine, close-set
teeth in each jaw. Schools from 50 to 1000 individuals. Colour iridescent
deep blue above, light blue to pale white underneath.
Fins: D IX 27; A II 25; P I 5; small scales. 20-45 cm. Weight
to 3 Kg.
Life history: The eggs are spawned from September to November
and juveniles are found from October to December. Eggs are 0.8mm in diameter
and they have a smooth spherical yolk which contains one oil droplet.
Distribution: Kermadec Islands, Three Kings Is to Cook Strait.
Most abundant on the NE coast of the North Island. Although Blue Maomao
are occasionally found in Australia, they appear to be endemic to NZ. See
map.
Sweep look very much like Blue Maomao but
they are not as blue. They also stay smaller. They live closer inshore
and inside estuaries. They can form large schools.
The scorpis with the wide side line. (linea=line, side-line, L) (latus=wide,
L)
Sweep look
so much like Blue Maomao that they have for a long time been regarded as
a colour variant or subspecies. It has the same fin ray and scale counts.
But its life cycle and requirements are different. Under water, Sweep and
Blue Maomao are often difficult to tell apart. Sweep are smaller and they
occur in small schools of a few dozen individuals to large schools of a
few thousand. They start life in the shallows of the mouths of estuaries
and in the wave zone sheltering behind boulders. When very young, Sweep
have a number of orange spots and dark edges to back and tail fins. They
look quite beautiful at this stage. Then they become dark grey but without
the yellow belly fin of the Blue Maomao. Their bodies will always remain
shorter than that of the Blue Maomao but although usually grey, they can
assume a blueish colour as well. Males and females are alike. It appears
that Sweep can stand pollution better than Blue Maomao.
Sweep in the aquarium have demonstrated the ability to develop a strategy
(for catching food). When competing with Parore, Snapper, Spotty and Leatherjacket
for a few hundred small shrimps, it lines up in a corner of the tank and
makes a quick pre-planned zigzag through the tank, turns on a dime and
repeats it in the reverse direction. Before the other fish, who stay in
the middle of the shrimps, have had time to take even 10 percent, the single
Sweep has taken 90 percent by himself! Sweep also show strategy in playing
a game of tag together or with other fish.
How
to distinguish Sweep from Blue Maomao: Grey colour; fork of tail fin more
U shaped and curved than Blue Maomao's V shaped one; fins darker; eyes
round, not oval; smaller in size; shorter; more sideways compressed.
Fishing: Not normally fished because of its small size, but it
tastes fine.
Description:
Sweep is distinguished from Blue Maomao by having more gill rakers (38-45)
against Blue Maomao (26-36). Body oval shaped and sideways compressed.
Fin tail deeply forked. The NZ Sweep has always been assumed to be the
same as the Australian species (Scorpis aequipinnis) but it has
recently become apparent that this is not the case.
Fins: D IX 27; A III 25; P I 5; small scales. size 10-25 cm.
Maximum 35 cm.
Life history:
Juveniles settle while about 1cm long, growing rapidly to 15-20cm in their
first year. Juveniles July to October. Eggs smooth and spherical 0.8mm
diameter. Diet: copepods, mysids, larvae and other zooplankton.
Distribution: All around the North Island. See map.
Mado are cute fish. They are found in clear
water. They nibble animals from the rocks.
The
Mado (atypi=atypical, nonconforming; ychthis=fish; latus=broad; 'atypical
broad fish') is indeed the oddball out, with its very flat body, pointed
snout and nice colours. Mado are silvery white or yellow with yellow fins
and tails and 5-7 parallel brown-yellow bands running from head to tail.
Mado graze encrusting animals rather than plants. Mado are usually found
in small groups of 3 to 20 in dark areas such as archways and the deep
reef habitat zone down to about 60m. These places are also rich in encrusting
animal life while poor in plant life. Although Mado may occasionally be
encountered along our northern shores, they belong more so to the clear
and warm waters of NE NZ. It is not known whether Mado breed in NZ. When
young, Mado appear to act as cleanerfish, their small pointed mouths being
excellent tools for this.
Although of a wary nature, Mado are also inquisitive and will carefully
approach a diver. They may even take food when offered. They are delightful
little fish and because they are not very common, are a highlight of a
dive.
Fishing: Mado is not normally fished. It does not occur in sufficient
numbers and won't take bait easily.
Description: Body laterally compressed. Bright yellow fins. Silvery
white with five brown-yellow bands running from fore to aft. (identifying
feature). Snout pointed. The outer row of teeth in each jaw is enlarged,
reflecting the Mado's grazing habit of scraping organisms off the rock
walls.
Fins:
D XII 15; A III 15; P I 5; moderate scales. Size 15-25 cm.
Life history: Probably not breeding in NZ.
Distribution: Kermadec Islands, North Cape to Cook Strait. Most
common around offshore islands. See map. In
Australia the name Mado is used for Atypichthys strigatus (strigatus=
streaked), a more slender fish than our Mado. In Australia Atypichthys
latus is commonly called Eastern Footballer. A third similar looking
species exists, Microcanthus strigatus, or Stripey.
The
Silver Drummer is a plump bodied fish, a bit like a swimming jerrycan with
a black-edged tail that looks much like a paint brush. It is also about
the same size as a spare gasoline container, from 30-75 cm and 10Kg when
mature. Seeing big, mature Silver Drummer as shown in this photograph,
is rare because they are so shy. They hide in caves and large crevices
in turbulent areas and they feed on the coarse bladder weeds of the wave-swept
subtidal habitat zone. When small they compete for the same food (fine
algae growing on tough seaweeds) as Parore but later in life they eat more
of the coarse weeds themselves (Carpophyllum species), of which
there apears to be ample supply. Because their food is so readily available,
Silver Drummer spend much of their time socialising and resting. They feed
mainly at dawn or dusk. Silver Drummer can change colour rapidly from a
pale grey without markings, to dark grey with horizontal pinstripes, to
evenly black. 
Very
young Silver Drummer (half year to one year old) have light blue or white
spots and look very much like a different species. They find protection
in the roughest of places, high up in the surf zone in cracks and caves.
Around offshore islands, bigger schools of 50 or more are found swimming
in the foam zone. Silver Drummer are threatened by coastal setnets intended
to catch bait fish for craypots. They have become rare in many places.
Description:
body plump; size up to 75 cm, 10 Kg, 50-60 years old; colour light grey
to black with a darker grey on the back; black band on tail; powerful mouth
with close-set teeth forming a sharp cutting edge;
Parore
are found in large numbers around northern New Zealand, particularly on
our NE coasts. Most start their lives in estuaries where they can be found
in schools of many hundreds. They prefer a diet of soft, thready algae
that grow on top of the bigger algae. By removing these, Parore provide
a cleaning service for these seaweeds. But they have also been seen gobbling
plankton shrimps (krill) and feeding on bait. They find their food easy
to get so they spend much time socialising and resting. When sleeping,
Parore congregate in sleeping dens, very sheltered bowls between rocks
or inside the deep parts of estuaries. In these dens, each Parore has its
own bed which it defends against others. When sleeping, Parore are nearly
black with light squares along its back fin. During the day they are normally
seen in pin-striped business suits like on this picture. But they can easily
change colour. When completely whitish, they are in a submissive mood,
like when being cleaned by little Trevally. When dark coloured, they appear
to be in an aggressive mood. There is no outward distinction between males
and females but in summer they can be found racing around promontories
in schools of many hundreds. In that season they can also be found grazing
symbolically while courting. Some fish are then jet black while others
are white, possibly signalling their sexual differences.
Being
watched by a group of Parore is like being surrounded by a bunch of cheeky
schoolkids. They play all sorts of games, like "who dares to come closest?"
"let's go around the diver's back", "let's play hide and seek". When observed
in aquariums, Parore spend much time sorting out who is boss, sometimes
creating a lot of unrest and wounding rivals. They also appear to play
politics of domination and group support. Many elements of behaviour point
to it being smarter than most other fish. Parore can grow old like the
other members of its family but average and maximum age are not known.
Description:
Body elongate, sideways somewhat compressed. Mature length 40cm. Teeth
closely set together as a cutting edge (incisors). Teeth having three points,
from which its name derived (tricuspidata= three points). Females have
a dominant flat-topped central cusp, more pronounced than that of males.
Tail broad, muscular. Skin usually light grey with 10-12 thin vertical
stripes.
Description:
Adults 40-75 cm, up to 9 Kg. Body large and deep. More pointed than Silver
Drummer. Long, low dorsal and anal fins and a strong, broad, square-cut
tail. Teeth three-cusped like Parore but set in rows. Feed on shellfish,
brittle stars, worms, crustaceans.
Blue
Maomao (violaceaous= violet coloured) are schooling fish that stay close
to the shore. They feed on animal plankton and sometimes nibble lush seaweeds
when plankton is in short supply. Mature Blue Maomao are deep blue above
and pale white underneath. They have a forked tail. Their bodies are sideways
flattened which allows them to manoever quickly. With their extendable
mouths they snap at plankton shrimps that they can herd together with the
entire school. They can make the surface foam, pushing their blue backs
out of the water. At night each Blue Maomao sleeps on its own spot against
the rock and its colour changes to become dark green and mottled. Sometimes
they sleep in groups above the sandy bottom in a sheltered spot. Males
and females look alike.
When
young, Blue Maomao are not blue yet but they are grey with a yellow anal
fin. As they grow bigger, they become more blue and their anal fin loses
its yellow colour. As mature fish they are very blue indeed. The young
fish are found in very shallow water behind boulders and in crevices in
the wave zone, often in company of young Sweep that look very much alike.
Around the mainland, Blue Maomao are much smaller than around offshore
islands. It has been observed (JFA) that the coastal schools are threatened
by poor water conditions, resulting in short life spans and consequential
small size. All big Blue Maomao disappeared from our offshore islands and
coasts around October 1992, after which populations had to rebuild themselves.
It appears that Blue Maomao can grow 10-15 years old.
Description:
Body oval shaped, laterally compressed. Size 20-45 cm, 3 Kg max. Deeply
forked tail. Small flexible mouths with several rows of fine, close-set
teeth in each jaw. Schools from 50 to 1000 individuals. Colour iridescent
deep blue above, light blue to pale white underneath.
Sweep look
so much like Blue Maomao that they have for a long time been regarded as
a colour variant or subspecies. It has the same fin ray and scale counts.
But its life cycle and requirements are different. Under water, Sweep and
Blue Maomao are often difficult to tell apart. Sweep are smaller and they
occur in small schools of a few dozen individuals to large schools of a
few thousand. They start life in the shallows of the mouths of estuaries
and in the wave zone sheltering behind boulders. When very young, Sweep
have a number of orange spots and dark edges to back and tail fins. They
look quite beautiful at this stage. Then they become dark grey but without
the yellow belly fin of the Blue Maomao. Their bodies will always remain
shorter than that of the Blue Maomao but although usually grey, they can
assume a blueish colour as well. Males and females are alike. It appears
that Sweep can stand pollution better than Blue Maomao.
How
to distinguish Sweep from Blue Maomao: Grey colour; fork of tail fin more
U shaped and curved than Blue Maomao's V shaped one; fins darker; eyes
round, not oval; smaller in size; shorter; more sideways compressed.
Description:
Sweep is distinguished from Blue Maomao by having more gill rakers (38-45)
against Blue Maomao (26-36). Body oval shaped and sideways compressed.
Fin tail deeply forked. The NZ Sweep has always been assumed to be the
same as the Australian species (Scorpis aequipinnis) but it has
recently become apparent that this is not the case.
Life history:
Juveniles settle while about 1cm long, growing rapidly to 15-20cm in their
first year. Juveniles July to October. Eggs smooth and spherical 0.8mm
diameter. Diet: copepods, mysids, larvae and other zooplankton.
The
Mado (atypi=atypical, nonconforming; ychthis=fish; latus=broad; 'atypical
broad fish') is indeed the oddball out, with its very flat body, pointed
snout and nice colours. Mado are silvery white or yellow with yellow fins
and tails and 5-7 parallel brown-yellow bands running from head to tail.
Mado graze encrusting animals rather than plants. Mado are usually found
in small groups of 3 to 20 in dark areas such as archways and the deep
reef habitat zone down to about 60m. These places are also rich in encrusting
animal life while poor in plant life. Although Mado may occasionally be
encountered along our northern shores, they belong more so to the clear
and warm waters of NE NZ. It is not known whether Mado breed in NZ. When
young, Mado appear to act as cleanerfish, their small pointed mouths being
excellent tools for this.
Fins:
D XII 15; A III 15; P I 5; moderate scales. Size 15-25 cm.
