
Whitelegg's Weedfish
Heteroclinus whiteleggii
- Usual depth0–1 m
- Water temperature16–24 °C
- Best monthsJanuary, March, and May
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) Niki Hubbard, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
Heteroclinus whiteleggii, Whitelegg's weedfish, is a species of clinid native to reefs around New South Wales, Australia. This species can reach a maximum length of 10 centimetres (3.9 in) TL. The specific name honours the naturalist Thomas Whitelegge (1850–1927) who was a friend of Ogilby's friend and who collected the type.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Heteroclinus whiteleggii”, 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: 37 records
- February: 23 records
- March: 46 records
- April: 22 records
- May: 55 records
- June: 11 records
- July: 19 records
- August: 16 records
- September: 7 records
- October: 8 records
- November: 18 records
- December: 24 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 0–1 m · Deepest record: 0.5 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 16–24 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Whitelegg's Weedfish
Other scientific names: Clinus whiteleggii, Cristiceps fasciatus, Heteroclinus fasciatus, Heteroclinus whiteleggi
Similar species
Common WeedfishHeteroclinus perspicillatus
Common WeedfishHeteroclinus heptaeolus
Johnston's WeedfishHeteroclinus johnstoni
Kuiters WeedfishHeteroclinus kuiteri
Rosy weedfishHeteroclinus roseus
Forster's WeedfishHeteroclinus tristis
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).
- 306 open-data records from 1896 to 2014.
- 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.