Marine life  /  Morwongs & trumpeters  /  Dusky morwong
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Species entry

Dusky morwong

Dactylophora nigricans

The largest morwong, pale grey and up to a metre, feeding over seagrass and sand in the temperate south.

Size
To 120 cm
Depth
1–30 m
Habitat
Seagrass and sand, temperate south
Active
Daylight
Range
Australia
Rarity
Australia
3 stars of 5, a good week should turn one up
SP-01
dusky morwong · full body · habitat
4:3 · min 2400px

To about 120 cm, the largest of this family here. Large and slender, greyish to brownish with a whitish belly and thick fleshy lips. Juveniles are quite unlike adults: silvery with rows of orange-brown spots and dark spots on the dorsal and tail fins.

Its size and plain dusky adult colour separate it from the smaller patterned morwongs.

One to twenty metres over seagrass beds and rocky reef, cruising slowly and often nearly stationary, which makes it approachable. It eats worms, isopods, amphipods and brown algae.

It is rated high to very high in fishing vulnerability with very low resilience, and it has not been assessed by the IUCN.

Where to find:

LocationRarity Best monthsDepthHabitat
Australia Australia editorial estimate
3 stars of 5, a good week should turn one up
Year-round
1–30 m
Seagrass and sand, temperate south

Ratings are per location: 1 means found on most dives that look for it, 5 means a handful of records. Where enough dives have been logged the figure is calculated from them; otherwise it is an editorial estimate, and says so. We publish habitat and destination, not the dive site.

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