The Bastard Trumpeter is a schooling fish seen in small numbers, or occasionally in schools of thousands. Often observed swimming above sand, near rocky reefs. They are related to morwongs and share some of their facial features. The body outline is fairly even between top and bottom. They have faint, narrow, orange-brown lines along the body. They look grey and tend to be fast swimming, and are easily spooked by divers. Darker grey face and tail tips help to identify this species. Grows to about 65cm. Range: Robe in SA, to Sydney NSW and around Tas. Images © Rudie Kuiter and Mark Norman

Map interpretation: This maps show the average abundance of this species, as observed by participants in the Great Victorian Fish Count. Each dot represents a site that has been monitered by Reef Watch, and the colour of the dot shows the average abundance, as detailed in the legend. Tentative sightings occur when the Reef Watcher is not 100% confident of the identification, or where the sighting is outside the previously known distribution of the species. It would be great to confirm these sightings with a photograph or further observations.

References:

• Edgar, Graham. J. 1997. Australian Marine Life - the plants and animals of temperate waters (revised edition). New Holland : Sydney .
• Gomon, Martin. F, Glover, J. C. M., & Kuiter, R. H. (eds) 1994. The Fishes of Australia 's South Coast . State Print: Adelaide .
• Hutchins, Barry, & Swainston, Roger. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia - Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing and Gary Allen: Smithfield .
• Kuiter, Rudie. H. 1993. The Complete Divers' & Fishermen's Guide to Coastal Fishes of South-Eastern Australia . Crawford House Press: Bathurst .
• Kuiter, Rudie. H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia - A comprehensive reference for divers & fishermen. New Holland : Sydney .