Common Ponyfish, Leiognathus equulus (Forsskål 1775)
Other Names: Common Pony-fish, Narrow-banded Ponyfish
A Common Ponyfish, Leiognathus equulus, from West Papua, Indonesia. Source: Gerald R. Allen / FishBase. License: All rights reserved
Summary:
A large ponyfish with a greyish back becoming silvery below, many faint close-set bars along the back, usually a dark brown saddle on the caudal peduncle, a black margin on the soft dorsal fin, and broad dusky margins on the caudal-fin lobes. Juveniles have narrow close-set grey vertical lines above the midline, a yellow anal fin, a pale yellow margin on the caudal-fin lobes, and black dots on the snout.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2022, Leiognathus equulus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 16 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/536
Common Ponyfish, Leiognathus equulus (Forsskål 1775)
More Info
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Distribution |
Broome, Western Australia, to Port Clinton, Queensland. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical, Indo-west-central Pacific. Inhabits shallow coastal waters, estuaries, mangroves and river mouths. Juveniles commonly occur in mangrove estuaries and tidal creeks, sometimes entering the lower reaches of freshwater streams. |
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Features |
Dorsal fin VIII,15-16; Anal fin III,14-15; Gill rakers 18-22; Lateral line tubed scales 61-66. Body very deep, compressed, back strongly humped, body depth 1.7-1.9 in SL; mouth pointing downward when protracted; gill rakers short and fleshy, less than 1/2 length of corresponding gill lamellae, head and breast naked. |
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Feeding |
Feeds on polychaete worms, small crustaceans and small fishes. |
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Etymology |
The specific name is from the Latin equula (= little horse). Forsskål placed this species in the genus Scomber as he considered it to be a small mackerel which was known as a cavalla (= mare) in Spain and Portugal. |
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Species Citation |
Scomber equula Forsskål 1775, Descriptiones Animalium: 58. Type locality: Red Sea. |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2022 |
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Resources |
Common Ponyfish, Leiognathus equulus (Forsskål 1775)
References
Abraham, K.J., Joshi, K.K. & Murty, V.S.R. 2011. Taxonomy of the fishes of the family Leiognathidae (Pisces, Teleostei) from the west coast of India. Zootaxa 2886: 1-18
Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls.
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.
Chakrabarty, P., Sparks, J.S. & Ho., H.-C. 2010. Taxonomic review of the ponyfishes (Perciformes: Leiognathidae) of Taiwan. Marine Biodiversity 40: 107-121
Forsskål, P. 1775. Descriptiones Animalium Avium, Amphibiorum, Piscium, Insectorum, Vermium; quæ in Itinere Orientali observavit Petrus Forskål. Post Mortem Auctoris edidit Carsten Niebuhr. Adjuncta est Materia Medica Kakirina atque Tabula Maris Rubri Geographica. Hauniæ : Mölleri 1-19, i-xxxiv, 164 pp., 1 map.
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.
Jones, G. 1985. Revision of the Australian species of the fish family Leiognathidae. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 36: 559-613 figs 1-19
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.
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
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.
Randall, J.E. 2005. Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press 707 pp.
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.
Woodland, D.J., Premcharoen, S. & Cabanban, A.S. 2001. Leiognathidae. pp. 2792-2823 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.
