Barred morwong (Goniistius zonatus) is a saltwater species recorded in Hong Kong.
Scientific name: Goniistius zonatus · Water: Saltwater
Size: up to 45 cm
The barred morwong is a latrid that swims near the bottom. Its range runs from central Honshu southward, into the South China Sea and to Taiwan. Maximum length is about 45 cm total length. It is commercially cultured in Japan and is a commercial species. Trophic level is 3.3, fishing vulnerability moderate at 40 of 100, and resilience medium. IUCN lists it as least concern.
The body and head are mainly white, marked with several diagonal reddish-orange bands, and the caudal fin is dotted with white spots — hence "spottedtail". It lives on the faces and slopes of rocky reefs, typically at depths of 1 to 15 m. It feeds on benthic invertebrates that it filters out of the substrate: these fish have been observed feeding in benthic mats of diatoms, taking mouthfuls of the diatoms and using their gill rakers to filter out the small animals living among the algae. They also defend feeding territories against conspecifics of similar size.
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