Talang queenfish

What it is

This ray-finned fish belongs to the family Trachinotidae. It features a blunt snout and a large mouth filled with rows of very sharp teeth. The body is bluish grey on the head and back, turning silvery on the ventral side. A distinctive single row of five or six large dark silvery spots runs along the flanks above the lateral line. The dorsal fin lobe lacks a dark tip. Both the anal and dorsal fins are truncated, with their posterior parts reduced to spines, while the tail fin is strongly forked.

Where it lives

The species has a wide distribution across the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean. Its range extends from South Africa, the Red Sea, and the Persian Gulf in the west. It occurs eastward through Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, reaching as far as New Caledonia. Northern limits include southern Japan, while southern populations are found in Western Australia and New South Wales. Adults typically inhabit coastal waters near reefs and offshore islands, occasionally entering estuarine environments.

How it lives

Adults usually form small schools and act as predators. They feed on other fishes, cephalopods, small invertebrates, and various pelagic prey. Juveniles have a different feeding strategy, using rasping teeth to consume the scales and epidermis of other fish. Growth is rapid during early life stages but slows later. Individuals can reach 25 centimetres in their first year and 50 centimetres by their third year.

Breeding and life cycle

Females reach sexual maturity at a fork length of 63 centimetres, which occurs at approximately four to five years of age. Spawning seasons vary by region. In Australian waters, spawning takes place from August to March. In the Persian Gulf, it occurs between March and June. Mature females have high fecundity, with estimates ranging from roughly 259,000 to nearly 2.86 million eggs per spawning event.

Fish and people

This fish is an important target for both commercial and recreational fisheries throughout its range. Sport anglers value it highly, and the International Game Fish Association maintains records for the species. The all-tackle world record stands at 17.89 kilograms, caught off Umkomaas, South Africa, in 2010. Its size and fighting ability make it a prized catch for enthusiasts.

Questions people ask about Talang queenfish

Good reading and sources

• Scomberoides commersonnianus on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos
• Wikidata recordOpen data