Eastern stripey
Microcanthus joyceae
Illustration: Bloom by Day
A small bright yellow fish ruled with five dark stripes that run on into the back of the dorsal and anal fins. It drifts in twos and threes around rock ledges and bommies in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales, and will follow a diver about out of plain curiosity.
how to recognise it
- yellow, with five dark lengthwise stripes
- the stripes run back onto the rear edges of the dorsal and anal fins and onto the base of the tail
- the fifth body stripe is relatively straight, with no bend down toward the start of the anal fin
- no spots or short dashes on the breast and lower body
Field marks read from Fishes of Australia, 2026-10-16. Our wording, their facts. Max size 11.2 cm SL.
facts
- habitat
- rocky
- size
- ~10 cm, to 11 cm
Max size from Fishes of Australia (11.2 cm SL); the typical size is Bluebird’s, not from a cited source
- records near here
- 161 at 5 of 6 spots
A count of occurrence records near these spots, not abundance. Records are where someone looked.
when it has been recorded
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A gap means no record in the sample, not absence.
the rule
no QLD rule listed — check before you dive
no NSW rule listed — check before you dive
no closed season recorded for this species — that is not the same as open; check the official page
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.