General Description
Body very long and slender; lower jaw long slender, bill-like, upper jaw short; dorsal and anal fins short-based near the tail; lower lobe of tail fin longer than the upper. Pale greenish above, silvery-white below with a broad silvery stripe along the side, a reddish tip to the beak and a broad dusky margin to the caudal fin. To 51 cm.
Biology
Garfishes feed on invertebrates and plant matter in surface waters close to the shore. They are a popular food fish in southern Australia.
Distribution
Southern Australia.
Habitat
Inshore surface waters in bays and estuaries, and along the coast, usually around the seagrass Zostera.
More Information
-
Animal Type
-
Animal SubType
-
Brief Id
Slender silver fish with long jaw.
-
Maximum Size
51 cm
-
Habitats
-
Endemicity
-
Commercial
Yes
-
Conservation Statuses
DSE Advisory List: Not listed, EPBC Act 1999: Not listed, IUCN Red List: Not listed
-
Depths
Shallow (1-30 m)
-
Water Column Locations
Surface, Midwater
-
Taxon Name
-
Scientific Author
(Valenciennes, 1847)
-
Common Name
Southern Garfish
-
Kingdom
-
Phylum
-
Subphylum
-
Superclass
-
Class
-
Order
-
Family
-
Genus
-
Species Name
melanochir