Fish
Lantern Fish Cavebass
Dinoperca petersi
A dark, cave-dwelling reef fish speckled with white, hanging deep in the shadows by day.
Also known as cavebass, spelonk, spelonkbaars
- Habitat
- Reef caves and overhangs, into Natal
The cavebass has an oval, rather compressed body covered in small rough scales, and is blackish brown over head, body and fins, dusted with numerous white specks that fade in large adults. Its two nostrils are oval and set close together.
As its name suggests, it shelters in caves and shaded reef overhangs. The species ranges through the western Indian Ocean, with records reaching Natal, where divers know it as a fish of the dark recesses of the reef.