Marine Rainbowfish

Heteroscarus acroptilus

Fish
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth5–10 m
Water temperature14–23 °C
Best monthsMay and August
How commonOccasional

Photo credit: (c) Josh Nitschke, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

Heteroscarus acroptilus, the rainbow cale, is a species of weed whiting endemic to Australia where it is found in marine waters along the southern coast. It inhabits rocky reefs that have plentiful growth of brown algae and also in beds of seagrass, particularly those of the genus Posidonia. It occurs at depths of from 1 to 15 metres. This species grows to a length of 24 centimetres (9.4 in) SL. It can also be found in the aquarium trade. This species is the only known member of its genus.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Rainbow cale”, 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: 110 records
February: 71 records
March: 123 records
April: 115 records
May: 144 records
June: 111 records
July: 87 records
August: 214 records
September: 101 records
October: 89 records
November: 88 records
December: 91 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 5–10 m · Deepest record: 27.5 m

0–10 m: 126 records
10–20 m: 21 records
20–30 m: 1 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 14–23 °C

14–16 °C: 158 records
16–18 °C: 26 records
18–20 °C: 28 records
20–22 °C: 44 records
22–24 °C: 3 records

Photos

(c) Belinda Forbes, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Tim, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Thomas Mesaglio, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
(c) Josh Nitschke, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Tim, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist

Names and classification

English: Marine Rainbowfish, Rainbow Cale, Rainbow Fish

Names in 1 more languages

Simplified Chinese: 彩虹異鸚嘴魚, 虹彩异岩鱚

Other scientific names: Heteroscarus castelnaui, Heteroscarus elegans, Heteroscarus filamentosus, Heteroscarus macleayi, Heteroscarus modestus, Heteroscarus tenuiceps, Odax acroptilus, Pseudoscarus modestus, Scarus acroptilus

Similar species

Blue Groper
Achoerodus gouldii
Blue Groper
Achoerodus viridis
Hawaiian Hogfish
Bodianus albotaeniatus
Tripletail wrasse
Cheilinus trilobatus
Blunt-head Parrotfish
Chlorurus microrhinos
Spectacled Parrotfish
Chlorurus perspicillatus

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).
1,162 open-data records from 1879 to 2022.
Species data updated November 3, 2026.

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