Australian bonito
📖 Overview
Schooling by size and maturing from January through April. Flesh is light-colored of delicate flavor and good canning quality.
🔬 Taxonomy
🐟 Physical Description
Dorsal spines (total): 17 - 19; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13 - 18; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 14 - 17; Vertebrae: 45 - 46. Mouth moderately large. Interpelvic process small and bifid. Swim bladder absent. Laminae of olfactory rosette 21 to 39. Spleen large and prominent in lateral view. Liver with elongate left and right lobes and a short middle lobe. Body completely covered with very small scales posterior to the corselet. Dorsal stripe closer to being horizontal than in other species of Sarda and extending up to the belly in some specimens.: fusiform / normal; Cross section: oval.
🌀 Behaviour
Behavioural data for Australian bonito is currently being reviewed.
🦐 Diet
🥚 Reproduction
🌍 Habitat & Distribution
Marine; pelagic-neritic; oceanodromous . Subtropical; 23°S - 48°S, 141°E - 180°E Southwest Pacific: southeastern Australia, Norfolk Island and New Zealand.
🌿 Ecology
📐 Morphometrics
🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance
🛡️ Conservation Assessment
📊 Population Risk & Fisheries
🎣 Angling Guide
- heavy 30-80 lb class trolling rod
- conventional reel
- 80-130 lb wind-on leader
- temperature breaks
- floating debris
- current edges
- offshore seamounts
Use barbless hooks, minimise air exposure, and revive fish head-first in current before release.
⚠️ International management (ICCAT, WCPFC). Strict quotas and size limits.
📊 Population Dynamics
| Year | Region | Index | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
🌐 Names & Taxonomy
| Language | Common Names |
|---|---|
| 🇬🇧English | Australian bonito · Bunnies · Bunny · Common Bonito · Horsies · Little Bonito · Skipjack · Skippies · Striped Bonito · horse mackerel |
| 🇫🇷French | bonite bagnard |
| 🇳🇱Dutch | Australische bonito |
| 🇵🇹Portuguese | Bonito-austral · Bonito-australiano |
| 🇷🇺Russian | Австралийская пеламида |
| 🇪🇸Spanish | bonito austral |
| 🇨🇳Chinese | 澳洲狐鰹 |
Scientific Synonyms
| Scientific Name | Author | Year | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pelamys australis | Macleay | 1881 | Synonym |
| Pelamys schlegeli | McCoy | 1888 | Synonym |
| Sarda chilensis australia | Macleay | 1881 | Synonym |
| Sarda chilensis australis | Macleay | 1881 | Synonym |
| Sarda chiliensis australis | Macleay | 1881 | Synonym |
📚 Scientific References
13 publications cited
- Froese, R. and Pauly, D. (Editors) (2024). FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. FishBase Consortium. Link ↗
- IUCN (2024). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2024-1. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Link ↗
- GBIF Secretariat (2024). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. DOI ↗
- USDA Agricultural Research Service (2024). FoodData Central. USDA National Nutrient Database. United States Department of Agriculture. Link ↗
- FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department (2024). The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Link ↗
- Kaschner, K., Kesner-Reyes, K., Garilao, C., Segschneider, J., Rius-Barile, J., Rees, T., Froese, R. (2024). AquaMaps: Predicted range maps for aquatic species. AquaMaps. Link ↗
- Nelson, J.S., Grande, T.C., Wilson, M.V.H. (2016). Fishes of the World. 5th edition. John Wiley & Sons.
- Helfman, G.S., Collette, B.B., Facey, D.E., Bowen, B.W. (2009). The Diversity of Fishes: Biology, Evolution, and Ecology. 2nd edition. Wiley-Blackwell.
- Froese, R. (2006). Cube law, condition factor and weight-length relationships: history, meta-analysis and recommendations. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 22(4), 241-253. DOI ↗
- Halstead, B.W., Auerbach, P.S., Campbell, D. (1988). A Colour Atlas of Dangerous Marine Animals. Wolfe Medical Publications. Wolfe Medical.
- Balon, E.K. (1975). Reproductive Guilds of Fishes: A Proposal and Definition. Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, 32(6), 821-864.
🔍 Similar Species
🗺️ Global Occurrence Map
Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 12 records indexed .
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