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Adelaide's Weedfish

Heteroclinus adelaidae

  • Fish
  • IUCN: Least concern
  • Usual depth1–6 m
  • Water temperature13–22 °C
  • Best monthsApril and December
  • How commonRare
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About this species

Heteroclinus adelaidae, the Adelaide's weedfish, is a species of clinid that occurs in the Indo-Pacific waters around southern Australia. It prefers weedy habitats like seagrass beds, weedy reefs, and silty areas down to a depth of about 15 metres (49 ft) where it feeds on benthic animals. This species can reach a maximum length of 9 centimetres (3.5 in) TL.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Heteroclinus adelaidae”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

  • January: 23 records
  • February: 20 records
  • March: 26 records
  • April: 47 records
  • May: 10 records
  • June: 14 records
  • July: 2 records
  • August: 5 records
  • September: 4 records
  • October: 8 records
  • November: 25 records
  • December: 43 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 1–6 m · Deepest record: 14.5 m

  • 0–10 m: 54 records
  • 10–20 m: 1 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 13–22 °C

  • 12–14 °C: 11 records
  • 14–16 °C: 151 records
  • 16–18 °C: 22 records
  • 18–20 °C: 11 records
  • 20–22 °C: 7 records

Names and classification

English
Adelaide's Weedfish, Adelaide Weedfish, Phillips Weedfish

Other scientific names: Cristiceps phillipi

Similar species

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).
  • 272 open-data records from 1902 to 2014.
  • Species data updated November 3, 2026.

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