Argyrosomus japonicus

Mulloway | Butterfish | Croaker | Japanese Meagre | Jewfish | Kingfish | Kingy | Kob | River Kingfish | School Jew | Schoolies | Silver Croaker | Silver Jewfish | Soapy | Southern Meagre | Argyrosomus antarcticus
Argyrosomus japonicus
Argyrosomus japonicus, Coffs Harbour, NSW, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Argyrosomus japonicus
Argyrosomus japonicus, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
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Argyrosomus japonicus
Argyrosomus japonicus

Distribution

Temperate Africa, Temperate Australasia, Temperate northern Pacific, Tropical Indo-Pacific


Description

Large, silvery steel-grey body with a series of white spots along the lateral line, and a slightly rounded rear tail margin. Similar Teraglin Atractoscion aequidens, found in deeper southern Queensland waters, differs in possessing an indented rather than rounded rear tail margin. Adults spawn outside the surf zone of coastal beaches, larvae then drifting at sea for several months before moving into estuaries as juveniles.


Information

Max Size: 181 cm

Sea Temperature Range: 13.2-28.2°C

Depth: 2-150m

Habitat Generalization Index: N/A

Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.


Conservation and Rarity

IUCN Status: Not Evaluated

Occurrence: Infrequent (1.7% of sites)

Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed

Abundance: Several (9 per transect)

Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.


Edit by: GJ Edgar. 2008. Australian Marine Life. New Holland, Sydney