Bastard trumpeter

A school of fish under blue water above a coral-looking sea floor
Community type

Reef fish

Habitat type

Rocky reefs, kelp beds and inter-tidal zone

Bastard trumpeters (Laptridopsis forsteri) were given their unusual name to distinguish them from a different species known as the “real trumpeter” (Latris lineata).

Adults can grow up to 65cm in length and are identifiable by copper stripes along their body and a black margin on their caudal fin, or tail. They occur at depths between 2–60 metres and were often seen in resident schools swimming around rocky reefs in the past. However, the 2024 Rocky Reef Survey found that bastard trumpeter numbers have declined significantly in the Derwent Estuary since 2010, possibly in response to a major increase in recreational spearfishing during this period. Their diet consists of benthic invertebrates such as snails, clams, crabs and marine worms.

Much of the text within the species area of our website was written by Veronica Thorpe, as part of the Derwent River Wildlife Guide (2000).

The DEP has developed a variety of classroom and outdoor activities, including classroom materials, online resources, interpretive walks, games and sensory experience. These are focused around the key estuary habitats.