Diamondfish, Monodactylus argenteus (Linnaeus 1758)


Other Names: Butter Bream, Butter-Bream, Butterfish, Butter-fish, Diamond Fish, Diamond-fish, Silver Batfish, Silver Moony

A Diamondfish, Monodactylus argenteus, South Solitary Island, New South Wales, April 2006. Source: Sascha Schultz / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:

The aptly-named Diamondfish is silvery with black to dusky leading edges and blackish fin tips on the dorsal and anal fins. Small juveniles have a yellow dorsal fin and two vertical bars on the head.


Video of Diamondfish at Pender Bay, Dampier Penninsula, Western Australia.


Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2020, Monodactylus argenteus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 30 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/581

Diamondfish, Monodactylus argenteus (Linnaeus 1758)

More Info


Distribution

Port Hedland, Western Australia, around the tropical north to Mallacoota, Victoria. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical, Indo-west Pacific.  

Inhabits bays and harbours, mangrove estuaries, river mouths, inshore marine areas, tidal creeks and streams. Common around jetties and wharf pilings. Juveniles common in estuaries, often entering the lower reaches of freshwater streams.

Size

To 25 cm SL (standard length) and 27 cm TL (total length).

Feeding

Feeds on plankton and detritus.

Fisheries

Of minor commercial importance.

Conservation

  • EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
  • IUCN Red List : Not Evaluated
  • Species Citation

    Chaetodon argenteus Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema naturae  I: 272. Type locality: Indies.

    Author

    Bray, D.J. 2020

    Resources

    Atlas of Living Australia

    Diamondfish, Monodactylus argenteus (Linnaeus 1758)

    References


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  • Allen, G.R., Midgley, S.H. & Allen, M. 2002. Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 394 pp.
  • Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls.
  • Azeroual, A., Kaymaram, F., Abdulqader, E., Alnazry, H., Al-Husaini, M., Almukhtar, M., Hartmann, S., Alam, S. & Sparks, J.S. 2017. Monodactylus argenteus . The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T166925A46644370. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T166925A46644370.en. Downloaded on 02 March 2020.
  • Blaber, S.J.M. 1980. Fish of the Trinity Inlet System of North Queensland with notes on the ecology of fish faunas of tropical Indo-Pacific estuaries. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 31: 137-46.
  • Blaber, S.J.M., Young, J.W. & Dunning, M.C. 1985. Community structure and zoogeographic affinities of the coastal fishes of the Dampier region of north-western Australia. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 36: 247-266.
  • Cyrus, D. & Blaber, S. 1987. The influence of turbidity on juvenile marine fishes in estuaries. Part 2. Laboratory studies, comparisons with field data and conclusions. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 109: 71-91.
  • Francis, M.P. 1993. Checklist of the coastal fishes of Lord Howe, Norfolk, and Kermadec Islands, Southwest Pacific Ocean. Pacific Science 47(2): 136-170.
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  • Grant, E.M. 1991. Fishes of Australia. Brisbane : EM Grant Pty Ltd 480 pp.
  • Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp.
  • Johnson, J.W. 1999. Annotated checklist of the fishes of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 43(2): 709-762.
  • Johnson, J.W. 2010. Fishes of the Moreton Bay Marine Park and adjacent continental shelf waters, Queensland, Australia. pp. 299-353 in Davie, P.J.F. & Phillips, J.A. Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Marine Biological Workshop, The Marine Fauna and Flora of Moreton Bay. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 54(3)
  • Kottelat, M. 2001. Monodactylidae. pp. 3216-3220 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 5 2791-3379 pp.
  • Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp.
  • Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp.
  • Kuiter, R.H. & Tonozuka, T. 2001. Pictorial guide to Indonesian reef fishes. Part 2. Fusiliers - Dragonets, Caesionidae - Callionymidae. Zoonetics, Australia. 304-622 pp.
  • Lake, J.S. 1978. Australian Freshwater Fishes. Melbourne : Thomas Nelson 160 pp. 140 figs.
  • Larson, H.K. & Williams, R.S. 1997. Darwin Harbour fishes: a survey and annotated checklist. pp. 339-380 in Hanley, H.R., Caswell, G., Megirian, D. & Larson, H.K. (eds). The Marine Flora and Fauna of Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory, Australia. Proceedings of the Sixth International Marine Biology Workshop. Darwin : Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory 466 pp.
  • Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per Regna tria Naturae, secundem Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Characteribus, Differentis, Synonymis, Locis. Tom.1 Editio decima, reformata. Holmiae : Laurentii Salvii 824 pp.
  • Marshall, T.C. 1964. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coastal Waters of Queensland. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 566 pp. 136 pls.
  • Merrick, J.R. & Schmida, G.E. 1984. Australian Freshwater Fishes Biology and Management. Sydney : J.R. Merrick 409 pp. figs 280 col. figs.
  • Neira, F.J., Miskiewicz, A.G. & Trnski, T. 1998. Larvae of temperate Australian fishes: laboratory guide for larval fish identification. University of Western Australia Press. 474 pp.
  • Sheaves, M. 1998. Spatial patterns in estuarine fish faunas in tropical Queensland: a reflection of interaction between long-term physical and biological processes? Marine and Freshwater Research 49(1): 31-40.
  • Waite, E.R. 1909. A list of the known fishes of Kermadec and Norfolk Islands, and a comparison with those of Lord Howe Island. Transactions of the New Zealand Institute 42: 370-383.
  • Quick Facts


    CAAB Code:37356002

    Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

    Depth:0-18 m

    Habitat:Reef associated

    Max Size:27 cm SL

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