About Pempheris multiradiata Klunzinger, 1879
Pempheris multiradiata Klunzinger, 1879 has large eyes and a large, oblique mouth. It has a deep, compressed body that tapers steeply toward the tail. It bears a high dorsal fin with a short base and a long-based anal fin, and both fin bases are covered in scales. The entire body is covered in large scales that are weakly attached to the skin. Adults range in colour from pale to dark purplish-brown, and may have a silvery colour on the belly. They have 8–10 darker horizontal stripes along their flanks, and all fins are dark in colour. Juveniles are mostly translucent, with a bronze to yellowish tint on the back; the dorsal fin has a black leading edge, the tip of the anal fin is black, and the pelvic fins are yellow with black tips. The dorsal fin of this species has 5 spines and 11 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 32 to 39 soft rays. This species reaches a maximum total length of 28 centimetres (11 in). Pempheris multiradiata was first formally described by Carl Benjamin Klunzinger in 1879, with the type locality at King George Sound in Western Australia. Pempheris multiradiata is distributed in the south eastern Indian Ocean and south western Pacific Ocean, where it is endemic to southern Australia. Its range extends from Rottnest Island in Western Australia to Newcastle, New South Wales, and it also occurs around Tasmania. This species inhabits rocky reefs, and can be found at depths down to 70 metres (230 ft), though it is most commonly found at depths above 30 metres (98 ft). During the daytime, it forms schools that shelter below ledges and inside caves; it leaves these shelters at night to actively forage. It is the most common species of the genus Pempheris found off southern Australia. Juveniles form large schools, while adults are more often solitary. Pempheris multiradiata feeds in the water column on pelagic invertebrates.
