Spotted sillago (Sillaginodes punctatus)

Scientific name: Sillaginodes punctatus Cuvier, 1829

Spotted sillago (Sillaginodes punctatus)

The Spotted sillago (Sillaginodes punctatus) is a brackish-water fish of the family Sillaginidae. Native range: Indo-West Pacific, southern Australia.

Biology

Inhabit shallow inner continental shelf waters, including bays and inlets. For their first few years, they live mainly where seagrasses (Zostera species, Posidonia creeks. Small juveniles favor water depths from 2 m to 20 m. Adults inhabit more exposed waters along coastal beaches and reef areas, sometimes to depths as great as 200 m. Spawn in offshore waters from late summer to winter. Juveniles feed on benthic amphipods and other crustaceans. As they grow larger, their diet expands to include polychaete worms, mollusks and peanut worms (Sipuncula). Oviparous. This premium quality fish obtains a high price.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Sillaginodes punctatus
Family
Sillaginidae (Smelt-whitings)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
72.0
Common length
35.0
Depth range
2–200 m (7–656 ft)
Environment
Marine; brackish; demersal; non-migratory; depth range 2 - 200 m, usually 2 - 18 m
Climate
Temperate
Distribution
Indo-West Pacific: southern Australia.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: experimental; gamefish: yes
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.47; tm=3-4; tmax=15; Fec=100,000)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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