Skipjack trevally

The skipjack trevally (Pseudocaranx wright) or sand trevally is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Carangidae, the jacks, trevallies, pompanos and scads. It is found in the eastern Indian Ocean around Australia.[2]

Skipjack trevally

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Carangiformes
Family: Carangidae
Genus: Pseudocaranx
Species:
P. wright
Binomial name
Pseudocaranx wright
(Whitley, 1931)
Synonyms[2]
  • Usacaranx georgianus wrighti Whitley, 1931
  • Caranx wrighti (Whitley, 1931)

Description

The skipjack trevally is steely-blue in colour with an obvious, sharply demarcated, all-black spot with on the upper margin of the operculum which has roughly the same diameter as the pupil. The dorsal and anal fins are dusky green sin colour and lack any yellow colouration. The body is not marked with any other markings. The juveniles are marked with thin grey bands along their flanks. It is the smallest member of the genus Pseudocaranx which rarely grows longer than a fork length of 20 centimetres (7.9 in).[3]

Distribution

The skipjack trevally is endemic to Australia where it occurs from southern New South Wales and the Bass Strait between Victoria and Tasmania to the waters around Rottnest Island in Western Australia. There is also a record from as far north as the Exmouth Gulf, which may represent and instance of vagrancy,[3][1]

Habitat and biology

The skipjack trevally is a coastal species, the adults are found over sandy substrates and seagrass and often enter estuaries.[2] The juveniles occur in large schools and are often caught in considerable numbers by fisheries targeting prawns.[3] This is a relatively short-lived species where the average age is five years.[1]

Taxonomy and etymology

The skipjack trevally was described in 1931 as Usacaranx georgianus wrighti by Gilbert Percy Whitley with the type locality given as "40 miles west of Kingston, South Australia, depth 30 fathoms".[4] The specific name honours J.H. Wright who may be the same J.H, Wright who was a taxidermist at the Australian Museum in 1908-1916.[5]

References
  1. Smith-Vaniz, W.F.; Carpenter, K.E.; Matsuura, K.; Motomura, H. & Larson, H. (2018). "Pseudocaranx wrighti". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T20433543A67871585. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T20433543A67871585.en.
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2019). "Pseudocaranx wrighti" in FishBase. August 2019 version.
  3. Bray, D.J. (2018). "Pseudocaranx wrighti". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  4. Eschmeyer, W. N.; R. Fricke & R. van der Laan (eds.). "Usacaranx georgianus wrighti". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  5. Christopher Scharpf; Kenneth J. Lazara (10 August 2019). "Order CARANGIFORMES (Jacks)". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
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