Barred Queenfish

Interesting Info

• The Barred Queenfish is a sleek silver predator easily recognised by the six to nine bold vertical bars along its sides.
• It reaches up to about 70 cm (28 in) in length, making it smaller than the Giant and Lesser Queenfish, and its maximum weight is not well documented but is likely only a few kilograms.
• In Australia it lives across the tropical north, from Dampier in Western Australia through the Northern Territory to the Fitzroy River in Queensland.
• Globally it ranges through the tropical Indo–West Pacific, from East Africa and the Red Sea to Southeast Asia, Papua New Guinea, and up to southern China.
• The body is silvery-white with a bluish back, and the vertical dark bars give it a zebra-like pattern.
• Juveniles often use bays and estuaries as nurseries, while adults move into coastal reefs, lagoons, and channels.
• They feed mainly on small fishes such as sardines and anchovies, along with squid and prawns.
• Young Barred Queenfish have been observed nipping at scales and skin from other schooling fish—a habit they lose as they mature.
• They usually swim alone or in small groups rather than forming large schools.
• Divers and snorkellers may spot them flashing silver and striped as they patrol reef slopes or burst into baitfish schools.
• Spawning occurs offshore, with eggs and larvae drifting with currents before juveniles move inshore.
• They are thought to live around 7–9 years, similar to other medium-sized queenfish.