Bluespotted Trevally, Caranx bucculentus Alleyne & Macleay 1877


Other Names: Blue-spotted Trevally, Wide-mouthed Trevally

Bluespotted Trevally, Caranx bucculentus, at Cape Preston, Western Australia, May 2016. Source: Tony Ayling / iNaturalist.org. License: CC By Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:
A distinctive trevally with a very short, strongly arched, curved lateral line and the straight part of the lateral line with enlarged scutes commencing below the first dorsal fin. 

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2023, Caranx bucculentus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 30 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/3716

Bluespotted Trevally, Caranx bucculentus Alleyne & Macleay 1877

More Info


Distribution

Exmouth Gulf, Western Australia, to Bustard Bay, Queensland, and possibly further south to Moreton Bay. Elsewhere the species occurs in the East-Indo-west Pacific, from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and north to Japan..
Bluespotted Trevally inhabit inshore sandy areas, and are common in prawn trawl habitats in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland. Juveniles often occur in the lower parts of estuaries.

Feeding

Feeds mainly benthic crustaceans and bony fishes.

Biology

Individuals reach sexual maturity at about 11 cm standard length (SL) and about one year of age. Recruitment occurs year-round.

Fisheries

This species is considered to be an excellent sports fish, and is taken by recreational fishers on hook-and-line.
Bluespotted Trevally are commonly caught as by-catch in prawn trawl fisheries in northern Australia. By-catch management actions for this fishery includes the mandatory use of turtle exclusion and by-catch reduction devices.

Etymology

The specific name is from the Latin  bucculentus (= with full cheeks) presumably in reference to the large mouth described as the “maxillary extending to the vertical from behind the middle of the eye”.

Species Citation

Caranx bucculentus Alleyne & Macleay 1877, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. W. 1(3–4): .326, pl. 11(1). Type locality: Cape Grenville, Queensland.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2023

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Bluespotted Trevally, Caranx bucculentus Alleyne & Macleay 1877

References


Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls. 

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. 

Alleyne, H.G. & Macleay, W.J. 1877. The ichthyology of the Chevert Expedition. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 1(3–4): 261-281, 321-359, pls 3-9, 10-17 See ref at BHL

Blaber, S.J.M., Brewer, D.T. & Salini, J.P. 1995. Fish communities and the nursery role of the shallow inshore waters of a tropical bay in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 40(2): 177-193, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-7714(05)80004-6.

Blaber, S.J.M., Brewer, D.T., Salini, J.P. & Kerr, J. 1990. Biomasses, catch rates and abundances of demersal fishes, particularly predators of prawns, in a tropical bay in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. Marine Biology 107(3): 397–408, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01313421

Brewer, D.T., Blaber, S.J.M. & Salini, J.P. 1989. Feeding biology of Caranx bucculentus Alleyne and Macleay (Teleostei: Carangidae) in Albatross Bay, Gulf of Carpentaria, with special reference to predation on penaeid prawns. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 40(6): 657-668, https://doi.org/10.1071/MF9890657

Brewer, D.T., Blaber, S.J.M., Milton, D.A. & Salini, J.P. 1994. Aspects of the biology of Caranx bucculentus (Teleostei: Carangidae) from the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 45(3): 413-427,  https://doi.org/10.1071/MF9940413

Dell, Q., Brewer, D.T., Griffiths, S.P., Heales, D.S. & Tonks, M.L. 2009. Bycatch in a tropical schooling – penaeid fishery and comparisons with a related, specialised trawl regime. Fisheries Management and Ecology 16: 191-201, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2400.2009.00655.x.

Gloerfelt-Tarp, T. & Kailola, P.J. 1984. Trawled Fishes of Southern Indonesia and Northwest Australia. Jakarta : Dir. Gen. Fish. (Indonesia), German Tech. Coop., Aust. Dev. Ass. Bur. 406 pp.

Grant, E.M. 1975. Guide to Fishes. Brisbane : Queensland Government, Co-ordinator General’s Department 640 pp. 

Grant, E.M. 2002. Guide to Fishes. Redcliffe : EM Grant Pty Ltd 880 pp. 

Laprise, R. & Blaber, S.J.M. 1991. Predation by Moses perch, Lutjanus russelli, and blue-spotted trevally, Caranx bucculentus, on juvenile brown tiger prawn, Penaeus esculentus: effects of habitat structure and time of day. Journal of Fish Biology 40(4): 627–635. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1992.tb02610.x

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.

Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P. 2013. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa 3696(1): 1-293

Ramm, D.C., Pender, P.J., Willing, R.S. & Buckworth, R.C. 1990. Large-scale spatial patterns of abundance within the assemblage of fish caught by prawn trawlers in Northern Australian waters. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 41(1): 79-95, https://doi.org/10.1071/MF9900079

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. 

Russell, B.C. & Houston, W. 1989. Offshore fishes of the Arafura Sea. The Beagle 6(1): 69-84.

Sainsbury, K.J., Kailola, P.J. & Leyland, G.G. 1984. Continental Shelf Fishes of Northern and North-Western Australia. Canberra : Fisheries Information Service 375 pp. figs & pls. 

Salini, J.P., Blaber, S.J.M. & Brewer, D.T. 1994. Diets of trawled predatory fish of the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia, with particular reference to predation on prawns. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 45(3): 397-411, https://doi.org/10.1071/MF9940397.

Smith, R.L., Salini, J.P. & Blaber, S.J.M. 1992. Food intake and growth in the blue‐spotted trevally, Caranx bucculentus Alleyne and Macleay 1877, with reference to predation on penaeid prawns. Journal of Fish Biology 40(3): 315-324, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1992.tb02578.x

Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 1999. Family Carangidae. pp. 2659-2756 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 4 pp. 2069-2790. 

Smith-Vaniz, W.F., Carpenter, K.E., Motomura, H., Larson, H. & Matsuura, K. 2018. Caranx bucculentus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T20430510A67871515. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T20430510A67871515.en. Downloaded on 22 April 2020.



Stobutzki, N.C., Miller, M.J., Jones, P. &  Salini, J.P. 2001. Bycatch diversity and variation in a tropical Australian penaeid fishery; the implications for monitoring. Fisheries Research 53(3): 283–301. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-7836(00)00273-3

Travers, M.J., Potter, I.C., Clarke, K.R., & Newman, S.J. 2012. Relationships between latitude and environmental conditions and the species richness, abundance and composition of tropical fish assemblages over soft substrata. Marine Ecology Progress Series 446: 221-241, https://www.jstor.org/stable/24875359

Willing, R.S. & Pender, P.J. 1989. Length-weight relationships for 45 species of fish and three invertebrates from Australia's northern prawn fishery. Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries, Australia, Technical Bulletin 142: 57 pp.

Yearsley, G.K., Last, P.R. & Ward, R.D. (eds) 1999. Australian Seafood Handbook. Hobart : CSIRO Marine Research 460 pp.

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37337016

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Depth:3-87 m

Fishing:Recreational fish

Habitat:Inshore sandy areas

Max Size:66 cm TL

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CAAB distribution map