Blackspot tuskfish
Choerodon schoenleinii
Illustration: Bloom by Day
A heavy blue-green wrasse with a steep forehead, pale blue tusks and a single black spot at the base of the rear dorsal fin, which is the mark the name is for and the quickest way to be sure. Big ones are solitary and wary and will keep a reef edge between themselves and you.
how to recognise it
- a small black spot at the base of the last dorsal-fin spine
- large and blue-green
- a bluish bar on each scale, making rows of spots down the rear sides
don’t confuse with
- Harlequin tuskfish — the harlequin is small and boldly banded orange, blue and white
- Venus tuskfish — the Venus tuskfish has a red blotch behind the pectoral fin and no black dorsal spot
- Graphic tuskfish — the graphic tuskfish has 5 to 7 broad dusky bands and letter-like scribble on the head; the blackspot has neither
Field marks read from Fishes of Australia, 2026-10-13. Our wording, their facts. Max size 100 cm TL.
facts
- habitat
- reef
- size
- ~50 cm, to 100 cm
Max size from Fishes of Australia (100 cm TL); the typical size is Bluebird’s, not from a cited source
- records near here
- 10 at 3 of 6 spots
A count of occurrence records near these spots, not abundance. Records are where someone looked.
when it has been recorded
JFMAMJJASOND
A gap means no record in the sample, not absence.
the rule
QLD — Min: 30cm · Combined limit: 6 in total of all tuskfish species
source
· verified 2026-10-10
no NSW rule listed — check before you dive
QLD s 23 — closed season 6 November 2026 to 10 November 2026 (20 windows listed)
as regulated coral reef fin fish = any species in Fisheries (General) Regulation 2019, sch 7 pt 2 (tables 1-9) — table 9 (wrasse)
where: coral reef fin fish waters — tidal waters within the boundary from the northern tip of Cape York along latitude 10º41' south ... to latitude 24º50' south, longitude 154º east ... along latitude 24º50' south to the mainland shore
Whether it applies where you dive depends on the spot — open that spot on the map and press “fish here”.
Fisheries Declaration 2019 · Reprint current from 25 September 2026 to date · read 2026-10-13
Rules checked 2026-10-13 against qld.gov.au
Rules change. Check before you dive.
Occurrence data: Atlas of Living Australia (ala.org.au), CC-BY 4.0.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.