PORT PHILLIP BAY


Silver Trevally 

Pseudocaranx georgianus (Cuvier, 1833)

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Meristics.
Dorsal fin spines/rays: VIII; I, 25-28
Anal fin spines/rays: II; I, 21-24
Caudal fin rays: 17
Pectoral fin rays: 18-20
Ventral fin spines/rays: I, 5
Lateral line: 73-95 (scales) + 16-27 (scutes)
Gill rakers: 8-11 + 20-23

Interpreting fin count meristics.
Spines are in Roman numerals and soft rays are in Arabic numerals. Spines and rays that are continuous in one fin are separated by a comma. Fin sections are separated by semicolons.

Detailed descriptions of fin count and other meristics are in:
Gomon. M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds) (2008) Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.

Order level detail.
A Large and highly diverse group of modern bony fishes many of which have a generalized perch like body form. Most have pelvic fins with one spine and 5 rays and the maxillary bone is excluded from the gape of the mouth. Interrelationships of the group are poorly understood and continue to be studied. They inhabit almost all aquatic habitats from high-altitude strams to the deep sea, although most are marine.

Family level detail.
Streamlined, active-swimming fishes, with fine smooth scales, a relatively short-based spinous first dorsal fin, a long-based soft-rayed second dorsal fin, a narrow tail base and a deeply forked tail; usually a detached pair of short spines before the anal fin. While adults usually inhabit coastal or near shore waters, juveniles are often far from land around floating debris or large planktonic invertebrates such as jellyfish. Many are highly valued gamefish and some are commercially important.

Taxonomy

Phylum:
Chordata
Subphylum:
Craniata
Superclass:
Gnathostomata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Perciformes
Family:
Carangidae
Genus:
Pseudocaranx
Species:
georgianus

General Description

Body deep, oval, compressed, tail base very slender; pectoral fins long, slender, scythe-like, reaching almost to straight part of lateral line; enlarged bony scales present at rear end of lateral line; hind margin of upper jaw nearly vertical; scales absent below and before eye. Greenish-blue above, silvery below, with a rather large diffuse black spot on upper margin of gill cover; juveniles and subadults usually with a yellow mid-lateral stripe and a faint yellow stripe along dorsal and anal-fin bases. Previously confused with Pseudocaranx dentex which is not found in Australian waters. To 94 cm.

Biology

Large mobile schools of Silver Trevally move in and out of estuaries, and often hang around jetties and piers.

Habitat

Coastal waters and bays, often near rocky areas, in depths of 0-30 m.

Reefs

Open water

Distribution guide

New Zealand and southern Australia.

Species Group

Fishes › Trevallies and allies

Depth

Shallow (1-30 m)

Water Column

Midwater

Max Size

94 cm

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Recorded in Australia

Conservation Status

  • DSE Advisory List : Not listed
  • EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
  • IUCN Red List : Not listed

Author

article author Bray, D.J.

Di Bray is a Senior Collection Manager of ichthyology at Museum Victoria.

Author

article author Gomon, M.F.

Dr. Martin Gomon is a Senior Curator of ichthyology at Museum Victoria.

citation

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. & Gomon, M.F., 2011, Silver Trevally, Pseudocaranx georgianus, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 27 Apr 2024, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/6449

Text: creative commons cc by licence