Longraker Trevally

Interesting Info

• The Longraker Trevally is named for its very long, feather-like gill rakers that extend inside its mouth.
• It can grow up to 1 meter in length, but most fish are smaller, around 30 – 40 cm (12 – 16 in).
• Adults usually weigh under 2 kg (4.5 lb), making it a modest-sized trevally compared to giants like the Giant Trevally.
• In Australia it is found across northern waters, from Shark Bay in Western Australia to Queensland, including the Gulf of Carpentaria and Arafura Sea.
• Globally, it lives in the Indo-Pacific—from East Africa and the Red Sea across to India, Southeast Asia, Papua New Guinea, and Pacific islands.
• Juveniles have dark vertical bars on their sides that fade as they grow older.
• Colour is silvery with bluish tints above, fading to pale silver or white below. Fins often show dusky or dark shading.
• Adults sometimes develop a distinctive protruding lower jaw, giving them a jutting “chin.”
• They form small schools or move in loose groups near reefs and sandy channels.
• Longraker Trevallies feed mainly on small crustaceans, squid, and fish, snapping them from mid-water or near the seabed.
• Juveniles often stick to shallow reef flats and lagoons, while adults move into deeper coastal waters.
• Spawning hasn’t been studied directly, but like other trevallies they likely spawn offshore in warmer months, releasing eggs into open water.
• Maximum lifespan isn’t confirmed, but related trevallies live 10–15 years.
• It was first described scientifically in 1825 by French naturalist Georges Cuvier.