Giant Queenfish, Scomberoides commersonnianus Lacépède 1801

Other Names: Giant Dart, Giant Leatherskin, Leatherskin, Queenfish, Queenie, Skinny, Skinny Fish, Skinnyfish, Skinny-fish, Talang Queenfish, White Fish

A Giant Queenfish, Scomberoides commersonnianus, at Thevenard Island, Western Australia, May 2010. Source: Nigel Marsh / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:

A queenfish with a single row of 5-6 large dark silvery spots or blotches touching or above the lateral line, a large mouth extending well beyond the eye, and no dark tip on the dorsal-fin lobe.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2024, Scomberoides commersonnianus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 28 Apr 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/1660

Giant Queenfish, Scomberoides commersonnianus Lacépède 1801

More Info

Distribution	Northern Australia, from off Cape Cuvier, Western Australia, to the Gold Coast, Queensland; also Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean. elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical, Indo-west Pacific.
Feeding	A voracious predator - feeds on a range of bony fishes, cephalopods and crustaceans.
Biology	Females mature at 63 cm FL and 4–5 years. Spawning occurs between August and March, and it is estimated that mature females produce more than 250,000 eggs per spawning.
Fisheries	An important part of inshore commercial and sport fisheries in Australia.
Etymology	The species is named in honour of French naturalist Philibert Commerçon. Lacepède based his description on Commerson's illustration and notes.
Species Citation	Scomberoides commersonnianus Lacépède 1801, Histoire Naturelle des Poissons Vol. 3: 50, 53, pl. 20(3). Type locality: Madagascar.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2024
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Giant Queenfish, Scomberoides commersonnianus Lacépède 1801

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.

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.

Griffiths S.P., Fry G.C., van der Velde T.D. 2005. Age, growth and reproductive dynamics of the Talang queenfish (Scomberoides commersonnianus) in northern Australia. Final report to the National Oceans Office. CSIRO Cleveland. 39 pp.

Griffiths S.P., Fry G.C., van der Velde T.D. 2006. Population dynamics and fishery benefits of a large legal size of a pelagic sportfish, the Talang queenfish, Scomberoides commersonnianus in Australia. Fisheries Research 82(1-3): 74 pp. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2006.08.005

Gunn, J.S. 1990. A revision of selected genera of the family Carangidae (Pisces) from Australian waters. Records of the Australian Museum, Supplement 12: 1-77

Hutchins, J.B. 1994. A survey of the nearshore reef fish fauna of Western Australia's west and south coasts — The Leeuwin Province. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 46: 1-66 figs 1-6

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)

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.

Pepperell, J. 2010. Fishes of the Open Ocean a Natural History & Illustrated Guide. Sydney : University of New South Wales Press Ltd 266 pp.

Prokop, F. 2002. Australian Fish Guide. Croydon South, Victoria : Australian Fishing Network 256 pp.

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.

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.

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. & Staiger, J.C. 1973. Comparative revision of Scomberoides, Oligoplites, Parona, and Hypacanthus with comments on the phylogenetic position of Campogramma (Pisces : Carangidae). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 39(13): 185-256 figs 1-26 See ref at BHL

Smith-Vaniz, W.F. & Williams, I. 2016. Scomberoides commersonnianus. (errata version published in 2017) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T20434679A115380988. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T20434679A46664114.en. Downloaded on 25 August 2017.