Latropiscis purpurissatus (Sergeant Baker)

The Sergeant Baker can be recognised by its long tapering body, blotched colouration and its behaviour. The species is commonly observed by divers as it perches on the substrate with its head raised.

Adult males and females are easy to tell apart. Several of the anterior rays of the first dorsal fin are greatly elongated in males, nearly reaching the adipose fin. 

The Sergeant Baker is probably named after Governor Phillip's orderly sergeant, William Baker. Sergeant Baker came to Australia as a Corporal of Marines on the transport ship Charlotte. He was reported to have been a keen fisherman, and possibly the first white settler to have caught this species.

Size range

It grows to about 68 cm in length.