Teleostei (teleosts) >
Eupercaria/misc (Various families in series Eupercaria) >
Sillaginidae (Smelt-whitings)
Etymology: Sillago: From a locality in Australia.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 10 - 70 m (Ref. 6205). Subtropical; 21°S - 40°S, 111°E - 157°E (Ref. 6205)
Indo-Pacific: endemic to Australian waters from Fremantle northward to Shark Bay (western population), and from southern Queensland to New South Wales (eastern population).
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 15.2 range ? - ? cm
Max length : 30.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 6205)
Dorsal spines (total): 12; Dorsal soft rays (total): 16 - 18; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 16 - 19; Vertebrae: 33. The base of the first dorsal-fin spine yellow and the remainder of its keel dark brown to blackish. A silvery stripe runs midlaterally on the sides, and a yellow blotch is on the cheek.
Occur in bays and estuaries, but more commonly in deep offshore waters (Ref. 9563). Inhabit sandy substrates. Juveniles feed mainly on crustaceans such as copepods and mysidaceans, whereas larger fishes (11-20 cm) consume more polychaetes (Ref. 6223). Sexually mature below 13 cm SL and rarely exceeds 17 cm in Western Australia. Oviparous (Ref. 205), multiple spawner with asynchronous development (Ref. 12343). The flesh is soft and trawled fish are frequently bruised (Ref. 6205).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Multiple spawner with asynchronous development (Ref. 12343).
McKay, R.J., 1992. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 14. Sillaginid fishes of the world (family Sillaginidae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the sillago, smelt or Indo-Pacific whiting species known to date. Rome: FAO. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(14):87p. (Ref. 6205)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 18.6 - 25, mean 23.9 °C (based on 70 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00832 (0.00351 - 0.01970), b=3.07 (2.86 - 3.28), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.3 ±0.1 se; based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low to moderate vulnerability (32 of 100).
