Bastard trumpeter

The bastard trumpeter or copper moki, Latridopsis forsteri, is a trumpeter of the genus Latridopsis, found in the eastern Indian Ocean, off southern Australia, and around New Zealand, at depths of from 20 to 160 m. Its length is between 30 and 65 cm. The bastard trumpeter is very similar in shape and features to the blue moki, except the notch above the eyes is less pronounced. The body is silvery with 4 fine zig-zag horizontal bands of pink or olive-tinged pink along the back above the lateral line, and there is a mark of the same colour across the eyes that continues back as a faint wider band along the mid-flanks. The trailing edge of the caudal fin is distinctly marked with black. There is also a pink form of this fish. Bastard trumpeters are often seen in the company of blue mokis. Being a cold water species they are more common at the southern areas of their range. They take a wide range of invertebrate food, including crabs and other crustaceans, sea urchins, worms, and molluscs.

References

• Latridopsis forsteri (TSN 170269). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 18 April 2006.
• "Latridopsis forsteri". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. January 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
• Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 978-0-00-216987-5