Greenbone

{{Short description|Species of ray-finned fish}} {{About|the species|the film|Green Bones{{!}}''Green Bones''}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=July 2024}} {{Speciesbox | image = Odax pullus (Greenbone).jpg | image_caption = | image2 = {{Easy CSS image crop|Image=Odax pullus 607579273.jpg|desired_width=250|crop_left_perc=15|crop_right_perc=10|crop_top_perc=20|crop_bottom_perc=15}} | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 20 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Russell, B. |author2=Clements, K.D. |author3=Choat, J.H. |author4=Rocha, L.A. |author5=Myers, R. |author6=Lazuardi, M.E. |author7=Muljadi, A. |author8=Pardede, S. |author9=Rahardjo, P. |date=2012 |title=''Odax pullus'' |volume=2012 |article-number=e.T190678A17774407 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012.RLTS.T190678A17774407.en |access-date=20 November 2021}}</ref> | taxon = Odax pullus | authority = (J. R. Forster, 1801) | synonyms = {{collapsible list| * ''Scarus pullus'' J. R. Forster, 1801 * ''Callyodon coregonoides'' Parkinson, 1843 (ambiguous) * ''Odax vittatus'' J. Richardson & Solander, 1843 * ''Coregonoides vittatus'' Solander, 1843 (ambiguous) }} | synonyms_ref = <ref name = Fishbase>{{FishBase|Odax|pullus|month=August|year=2019}}</ref> }} '''''Odax pullus''''', known by the names '''greenbone''', '''butterfish''' or its Māori language name '''mararī''', or '''rarī,'''<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Leach |first1=B. Foss |last2=Davidson |first2=Janet M. |last3=Allen |first3=Melinda S. |date=2025-03-13 |title=The estimation of live fish size from archaeological cranial bones of the New Zealand Greenbone Odax pullus |url=https://tuhinga.arphahub.com/article/135525/ |journal=Tuhinga |language=en |volume=36 |pages=1–22 |doi=10.3897/tuhinga.36.135525 |doi-access=free |issn=2253-5861}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Leach |first1=B. Foss |last2=Davidson |first2=Janet M. |last3=Allen |first3=Melinda S. |date=2025-03-13 |title=The estimation of live fish size from archaeological cranial bones of the New Zealand Greenbone Odax pullus |url=https://tuhinga.arphahub.com/article/135525/ |journal=Tuhinga |language=en |volume=36 |pages=1–22 |doi=10.3897/tuhinga.36.135525 |doi-access=free |issn=2253-5861}}</ref> is a species of ray-finned fish, a weed whiting from the family Odacidae, which is found around New Zealand. It is of minor importance to local commercial fisheries.<ref name = Fishbase/>

==Names== ''Odax pullus'' is commonly known in English as the '''greenbone''', the '''butterfish''' or the '''greenbone butterfish'''. In the indigenous Māori language, the species has several names: {{lang|mi|kōeaea}},<ref>{{Māori Dictionary|15357|Kōeaea}}</ref> {{lang|mi|marare}},<ref>{{Māori Dictionary|42971|Marare}}</ref> {{lang|mi|mararī}},<ref>{{Māori Dictionary|3697|Mararī}}</ref> {{lang|mi|matohe}}<ref>{{Māori Dictionary|42972|Matohe}}</ref> and {{lang|mi|tarao}}.<ref>{{Māori Dictionary|44513|Tarao}}</ref>

==Description== Greenbone fish are protogynous hermaphrodites, beginning life as female and a proportion becoming male later in life. Young fish begin life with a golden-yellow colour, developing into a dark green-blue as the fish become juveniles. Adult fish are typically brown-yellow in colour.<ref name="Secrets" />

This species reaches a length of {{convert|40|cm|in}} SL and has been recorded as reaching {{convert|1.5|kg|lb}}. Once the fish reach a length of {{convert|40|cm|in}}, approximately half of the fish develop into males, who have a bright-blue colour.<ref name="Secrets" /><gallery mode="packed" heights="160"> File:Odax pullus 191237471 (cropped).jpg|A younger golden-yellow ''Odax pullus'' in a kelp forest File:Green-boned Butterfish, Lyall Bay, Wellington 6022, New Zealand imported from iNaturalist photo 24156535.jpg|As their name implies, the bones of the species are blue-green in colour </gallery>

==Distribution and habitat== [[File:Odax pullus 492181348.jpg|thumb|At Wellington (NZ)]]''Odax pullus'' is common in New Zealand coastal waters, particularly around the South Island.<ref name="Secrets">{{cite Q|Q114871191|pp=142-146}}</ref> Its range includes the Chatham Islands, Antipodes Islands and Bounty Islands but it is not present around the Three Kings Islands, where it is replaced by the endemic bluefinned butterfish ''O. cyanoallix''.<ref name="iucn status 20 November 2021" />

It inhabits shallow, rocky areas with brown algae growth, mainly ''Carpophyllum''.

==Diet== [[File:Odax pullus 592206626 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Spearfishing greenbone]] Greenbones are primarily herbivorous, feeding mostly on brown seaweeds.<ref name="Secrets"/>

==In a human context==

Rarī is a traditional Māori food-source,<ref name=":0" /> and developed a folk reputation for being troublemakers. The name rarī over time became used to describe people who were troublemakers as well.<ref name="Secrets"/> The fish was more commonly eaten in southern New Zealand, and typically caught using large pole nets which used kelp as a camouflage.<ref name="Secrets"/>

Early European settlers similarly had a poor reputation for the fish, until a public health campaign in the 1920s by the Department of Health, who encouraged people to eat the fish due to its high levels of iodine.<ref name="Secrets"/><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Leach |first1=B. Foss |last2=Davidson |first2=Janet M. |last3=Allen |first3=Melinda S. |date=2025-03-13 |title=The estimation of live fish size from archaeological cranial bones of the New Zealand Greenbone Odax pullus |url=https://tuhinga.arphahub.com/article/135525/ |journal=Tuhinga |volume=36 |pages=1–22 |doi=10.3897/tuhinga.36.135525 |doi-access=free |issn=2253-5861}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Odax Category:Fish described in 1801 Category:Taxa named by Johann Reinhold Forster Category:Endemic marine fish of New Zealand