About Morwong ephippium (McCulloch & Waite, 1916)
The painted moki, scientifically known as Morwong ephippium (McCulloch & Waite, 1916), reaches a maximum total length of 55 cm (22 in). Its base body color ranges from reddish-brown to brown, covered in irregular spots. A wide, pale oblique stripe runs from the nape to the area behind the base of the pectoral fin, where it connects to the fish’s pale underside. A second, shorter pale stripe runs from under the spiny section of the dorsal fin to just below the center of the body. Along the back, starting from the base of the soft-rayed portion of the dorsal fin, there is either a series of pale spots or a single wide pale stripe. This fish occurs in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Along the coast of New South Wales, its range extends from Broughton Island south to Montague Island. In the Tasman Sea, it can be found at Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island, and it also occurs off the Kermadec Islands in New Zealand. The painted moki lives on inshore rocky and coral reefs at depths down to 60 m (200 ft). It feeds on benthic invertebrates, which it filters from sediment.
