Enoplosus armatus, commonly referred to as the old wife (plural: old wives), is a species of centrarchiform ray-finned fish endemic to the temperate coastal waters of Australia.
[8] However, the old wife is easily distinguished by its silver-and-black, vertical, zebra-striped coloration, and by its two prominent dorsal fins.
[5][11] Other vernacular names have included "bastard dory", "zebra-fish" (also used for Girella zebra), and "double scalare".
The colour a silvery white, darker, and of a bluish tinge on the back; the transverse fasciae, or bands, of a deep black; the fins and tail of a pale brown.
[17][18] Exceptionally well-preserved fossils show the basic body plan and even the zebra pattern of colouring have not changed significantly over the last 50 million years.