Achoerodus gouldii (Richardson, 1843)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The western blue groper (Achoerodus gouldii) is a species of wrasse native to coastal waters of southern Australia from the Houtman Abrolhos in Western Australia to west of Melbourne.
This species prefers areas with rocky substrates and can be found at depths of from 1 to 65 m. Their diet consists of other fishes, crabs, lobster, various molluscs including abalone, and starfish. This species grows to a length of 175 cm (69 in). Weights of up to 40 kg (88 lb) have been recorded. It has been recorded living for up to 70 years, making it the longest lived wrasse species recorded alongside the foxfish. They have a single long-based dorsal fin, a large squarish tail, thick fleshy lips, large heavy scales and peg-like teeth.
Wikipedia contributors, Achoerodus gouldii; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T18:56:49.830619+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Achoerodus gouldii (Richardson, 1843)
- Name authority
- (Richardson, 1843)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Family
- Labridae
- Genus
- Achoerodus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- familyLabridae Cuvier, 1816
- subfamilyHypsigenyinae Günther, 1861
- tribeClepticini Bleeker, 1862
- genusAchoerodus Gill, 1863
- speciesAchoerodus gouldii (Richardson, 1843)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Achoerodus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Achoerodus viridis (Steindachner, 1866) | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Labrus gouldii Richardson, 1843 Richardson, 1843 | synonym |
| Platychoerops muelleri Klunzinger, 1879 Klunzinger, 1879 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=279497 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:64GWL. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.