Goldband Fusilier, Caesio caerulaurea Lacépède 1801


Other Names: Blue and Gold Fusilier, Blue Fusiler, Blue-and-gold Fusilier, Gold-band Fusilier, Gold-banded Fusilier, Sissor-tail Fusilier

Goldband Fusiliers, Caesio caerulaurea, at Navy Pier, Exmouth Gulf, Western Australia, September 2017. Source: Alex Hoschke / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:
A bluish fusilier becoming white below, with a single yellow to golden stripe above the lateral line bordered above and below by a narrow white to pale blue stripe continuing as a median blackish streak on the upper caudal-fin lobe, and a similar median blackish streak on the lower lobe (giving a scissor-like appearance).

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J & Thompson, A.S. 2022, Caesio caerulaurea in Fishes of Australia, accessed 05 Dec 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/1231

Goldband Fusilier, Caesio caerulaurea Lacépède 1801

More Info


Distribution

Shark Bay north to Cassini Island, Western Australia, Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea, to Sydney, New South Wales; also Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean, and the Lord Howe Province in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical, Indo-west-central Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to French Polynesia, north to southern Japan, south to New Caledonia.
Forms schools along coastal, lagoon and seaward reefs, usually in areas with healthy coral growth. Feeds on plankton in midwater above the reef.

Features

Dorsal fin X, 14-16; Anal fin III, 10-12; Lateral line scales 57-65. 
Postmaxillary process single; scale rows on spinous part of dorsal fin horizontal; supratemporal bands of scales often interrupted at dorsal midline by a scaleless zone, always a V-shaped scaleless zone anteriorly at midline intruding between the supratemporal band of scales.

Colour

Upper body bluish, lower white to pale bluish; a single yellow or golden stripe directly above lateral line except on caudal peduncle where it is about one scale above lateral line, the yellow stripe 2-3 scales wide, bordered directly above and below by a white or light blue stripe which is about one scale wide, caudal-fin lobes with a black median streak.

Feeding

Forms large midwater aggregations to feed on zooplankton.

Fisheries

Fished commercially in parts of its range, and juveniles are an important tuna baitfish in some areas.

Similar Species

The similar Neon Fusilier, Pterocaesio tile, las darker upper body and lacks a yellow stripe. The Yellowband Fusilier, P. chrysozona, has black tips on the caudal fin (vs. a scissor-like tail in the Goldband Fusilier)

Etymology

The specific name caerulaureus is from the Latin caeruleus (= having the colour of the sky) and aureus (= golden), in reference to the blue colour of this species with a golden stripe along the side.

Species Citation

Caesio caerulaureus Lacépède 1801, Histoire Naturelle des Poissons Vol. 3:85. Type locality: Molucca Islands.

Author

Bray, D.J & Thompson, A.S. 2022

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Goldband Fusilier, Caesio caerulaurea Lacépède 1801

References


Abesamis, R.A., Jadloc, C.R.L. & Russ, G.R. 2015. Varying annual patterns of reproduction in four species of coral reef fish in a monsoonal environment. Marine Biology 162: 1993–2006. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-015-2725-6

Allen, G.R & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.

Allen, G.R. & Russell, B.C. 1986. Part VII Fishes. pp. 79-103 in Berry, P.F. (ed.) Faunal Surveys of the Rowley Shoals, Scott Reef and Seringapatam Reef, northwestern Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 25: 1-106 

Allen, G.R. & Steene, R.C. 1988. Fishes of Christmas Island Indian Ocean. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 197 pp. 

Allen, G.R., Steene, R.C. & Orchard, M. 2007. Fishes of Christmas Island. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 2 edn, 284 pp. 

Carpenter, K.E. 1987. Revision of the Indo-Pacific fish family Caesionidae (Lutjanoidea), with descriptions of five new species. Indo-Pacific Fishes 15: 1-56 figs 1-10 pls 1-7 

Carpenter, K.E. 1988. FAO Species Catalogue. Fusilier fishes of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of caesionid species known to date. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125, Vol. 8. Rome : FAO 75 pp. 

Carpenter, K.E. 2001. Caesionidae. pp. 2919-2941 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. 

Coleman, N. 1981. Australian Sea Fishes North of 30°S. Lane Cove, NSW : Doubleday Australia Pty Ltd 297 pp. 

Fricke, R. 2010. Caesio caerulaurea. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T155097A4703967. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T155097A4703967.en. Downloaded on 07 August 2020.

Hamner, W.M., Jones, M.S., Carleton, J.H., Hauri, I.R. & Williams, D.McB. 1988. Zooplankton, planktivorous fish, and water currents on a windward reef face: Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Bulletin of Marine Science 42(3): 459-479 See ref online

Hobbs, J-P.A., Newman, S.J., Mitsopoulos, G.E.A., Travers, M.J., Skepper, C.L., Gilligan, J.J., Allen, G.R., Choat, H.J. & Ayling, A.M. 2014. Checklist and new records of Christmas Island fishes: the influence of isolation, biogeography and habitat availability on species abundance and community composition. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 30: 184–202 https://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/rbz/supplement-no-30/

Hutchins, J.B. 2003. Checklist of marine fishes of the Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia. pp. 453-478 in Wells, F.E., Walker, D.I., & Jones, D.S. (eds). Proceedings of the Eleventh International Marine Biological Workshop: The Marine Flora and Fauna of Dampier, Western Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum. 

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. 

Lacépède, B.G. 1801. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : chez Plassan Vol. 3 558 pp. 34 pls. See ref at BHL

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs. 

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs.

Reader, S.E. & Leis, J.M. 1996. Larval development in the lutjanid subfamily Caesioninae (Pisces): the genera Caesio, Dipterygonotus, Gymnocaesio, and Pterocaesio. Bulletin of Marine Science 59(1): 310-369. See ref online

Yokoyama, K., Kamei, Y., Toda, M.,  Hirano, K. & Iwatsuki, Y. 1995. Reproductive behavior, eggs and larvae of a caesionine fish, observed in an aquarium. Japanese Journal of Ichthyology 42(2): 157-164 https://doi.org/10.11369/jji1950.42.157

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37346024

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Depth:1-40 m

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:35 cm TL

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