Argyrosomus japonicus
| Mulloway | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: | |
| Species: | A. japonicus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Argyrosomus japonicus | |
Argyrosomus japonicus is a silvery to bronze-green colored fish, a member of the family Sciaenidae, which may grow up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in length. It is known as mulloway or jewfish on the east coast of Australia, butterfish in South Australia, kingfish or river kingfish in Western Australia,[1] and dusky/squaretail kob, Dusky Salmon, Salmon or kabeljou in South Africa. The name jewfish refers to its large otoliths, which are prized as "jewels" by some fishers.[citation needed]
Description
Argyrosomus japonicus is a large, slender fish which can grow to 2 m (6 ft 7 in). It has a copper-colored head and is silvery with a bronze-green dorsal surface and paler belly. It has with a row of distinctive white spots running along the lateral line. The caudal fin is angular in juveniles but becomes more rounded in larger fish.[2]
Distribution and habitat
Argyrosomus japonicus has an Indo-Pacific distribution occurring in coastal waters surrounding Australia, Africa, India, Pakistan, China and Japan. Adults are gregarious and are found over soft bottoms mainly beyond the surf zone, occasionally going inshore. Juveniles are exclusively found in shallow water and sometimes move into estuaries.[3]
References
- ^ "What's in a Name? (Bray & Gomon, 2019)". Fishes of Australia. Retrieved 2019-11-02.
- ^ "Mulloway, Argyrosomus japonicus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1844)". Australian Museum. Retrieved 2013-12-26.
- ^ "Argyrosomus japonicus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843): Japanese meagre". FishBase. Retrieved 2013-12-26.