Razor Moonfish, Mene maculata (Bloch & Schneider 1801)

Other Names: Moonfish, Moon-fish, Razor Trevally

Razor Moonfish, Mene maculata, at Chumphon dive site, Koh Tao, Thailand, May 2011. Source: Tine Kinn Kvamme / Fishbase. License: CC BY Attribution-Noncommercial

Summary:

Identifying features:
Body very deep, extremely compressed,, disc-like with a sharp, keel-like breast;
Anal fin low, very long-based, extending from pelvic fin base to caudal peduncle;
Mouth small, protrusible, almost vertical;
Pelvic fins elongate, caudal fin deeply forked;
Deep metallic blue or greenish-blue above with large greyish-blue spots, sides and bely silvery.

Cite this page as:

Dianne J. Bray, Mene maculata in Fishes of Australia, accessed 19 Jan 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/580

Razor Moonfish, Mene maculata (Bloch & Schneider 1801)

More Info

Distribution	Recorded in Australian waters from off Denham, Western Australia to off the Clarence River, New South Wales. Elsewhere, widespread in the Indo-west-central Pacific. A schooling species found in coastal waters, usually near the bottom although it may enter estuaries.
Feeding	Carnivore - feeds on small invertebrates.
Fisheries	Sometimes targeted, although usually taken as bycatch in commercial trawls and beach seines in many parts of its range. The flesh is of excellent quality and is sold fresh and dried.
Conservation	EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed IUCN Red List : Not Evaluated
Species Citation	Zeus maculata Bloch & SSchneider, 1801, Systema Ichthyolog: 95, pl. 22. Type locality: Tranquebar, India.
Author	Dianne J. Bray

Razor Moonfish, Mene maculata (Bloch & Schneider 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.

Bloch, M.E. & Schneider, J.G. 1801. Systema Ichthyologiae Iconibus ex Illustratum. Berlin 584 pp. 110 pls.

Friedman, M. & Johnson, G.D. 2005. A new species of Mene (Perciformes: Menidae) from the Paleocene of South America, with notes on paleoenvironment and a brief review of menid fishes. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 25(4): 770-783.

Grant, E.M. 1991. Fishes of Australia. Brisbane : EM Grant Pty Ltd 480 pp.

Munro, I.S.R. 1961. Handbook of Australian fishes. Nos 1–42. Australian Fisheries Newsletter 15–17, 19, 20: 1-172 [published as separaes 1956–1961]

Sainsbury, K.J., Kailola, P.J. & Leyland, G.G. 1985. Continental Shelf Fishes of Northern and North-Western Australia. Canberra : Fisheries Information Service 375 pp. figs & pls.

Woodland, D.J. 2001. Menidae. 2791 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.