Morwong
Goniistius zonatus
- Usual depth1–49 m
- Water temperature19–25 °C
- Best monthsMay, July, and August
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) 呂一起(Lyu yi-chi), some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
The spottedtail morwong is a species of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. It is found in the northwest Pacific Ocean.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Spottedtail morwong”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 5 records
- February: 9 records
- March: 14 records
- April: 17 records
- May: 34 records
- June: 30 records
- July: 41 records
- August: 41 records
- September: 28 records
- October: 25 records
- November: 15 records
- December: 8 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 1–49 m · Deepest record: 49.4 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 19–25 °C
Photos
(c) RX ZHANG, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) 呂一起(Lyu yi-chi), some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist 
(c) angryphyco, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Se Lena, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) unipon, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) angryphyco, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Morwong, Spottedtail Morwong
Names in 3 more languages
- Japanese
- Takanohadai, タカノハダイ
- Korean
- 아홉동가리
- Simplified Chinese
- 三康, 咬破布, 花尾唇指䱵, 花尾唇指, 萬年瘦, 金花
Other scientific names: Cheilodactylus zonatus
Similar species
Crested MorwongGoniistius vestitus
Blacktip MorwongGoniistius francisi
Crested MorwongGoniistius gibbosus
Red-lip MorwongGoniistius rubrolabiatus
Hawaiian MorwongGoniistius vittatus
- Redlip Morwong
Goniistius zebra
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 234 open-data records from 1900 to 2022.
- Species data updated November 3, 2026.
Log what you see on your next dive
The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.