About Lotella rhacina (Forster, 1801)
Lotella rhacina, commonly called the rock cod, is a temperate fish species. It occurs off the coasts of southeastern Australia, Tasmania, the Great Australian Bight, and north along the southwestern Australian coast; it is also found around the coasts of New Zealand and California. This species belongs to the family Moridae, and is not related to true cods of the genus Gadus. In Australia, it is also known by the common name beardie. Rock cod individuals have a yellow-grey to red-brown body color, with white fin margins. They possess chin barbels, and can grow up to 50 cm in total length. This species inhabits caves within bays and coastal reefs. It is frequently found inshore, living in shallow waters on the continental shelf at typical depths between 10 and 90 m. Many other fish species are sometimes called 'rock cod', most of which are unrelated to the cod family and are better known as groupers.
