TREVALLY, LONG NOSED
The species was first scientifically described by the French taxonomist Georges Cuvier in 1833, based on the holotype specimen collected from the waters of the Seychelles. He named the new species Caranx chrysophrys, with the specific name meaning 'golden eyebrow' in Greek. The generic position of the species was revised twice, being placed in Citula by William Ogilby and finally into Carangoides by Ian Munro, where it has remained. The species has been independently described on a number of occasions, the first when Pieter Bleeker identified a fish he believed was similar, but not the same as Carangoides chrysophrys, and named it Carangoides chrysophryoides. Other synonyms include Caranx nigrescens,Caranx jayakari and Caranx typus. These are all considered to be junior synonyms under the ICZN rules and are no longer used. The species has a number of common names, with the most often used names, 'Longnose Trevally' (or 'Longnose Kingfish') and 'Club-Nosed Trevally' in reference to the snout profile of the fish. The names 'Dusky Trevally' and 'grunting trevally' are used for the fish in the United States. The species is of minor commercial importance throughout its range, and is considered to be a good table fish.
The Long Nosed trevally is similar to other jacks in its overall body profile, having a strongly compressed ovate shape as a juvenile, gradually becoming more oblong with age. It is a moderately large fish, recorded up to 72 cm in length and 4.35 kg in weight.The dorsal profile is more convex than the ventral profile. One of the species major diagnostic characters is its snout shape, having a gently sloped dorsal profile from the nape to near the snout, but becoming abruptly vertical just before the mouth cleft. Both of the jaws contain anteriorly widening bands of small villiform teeth, with larger individuals also having a number of conical outer teeth. There are two separate dorsal fins, the first consisting of 8 spines and the second of 1 spine and 18 to 20 soft rays. The anal fin comprises two detached anterior spines, followed by 1 spine and 14 to 17 soft rays. The lobes of both the soft anal and dorsal fin are falcate, with juveniles having the anteriormost rays extended into filaments. These are lost in adults, with the lobes becoming shorter than the head. The pectoral fins are long and falcate, not quite reaching the intersection of the arched and straight sections of the lateral line.The lateral line is moderately curved anteriorly, with this section up to twice as long as the straight section, which has between 20 and 37 weak scutes present. The breast of the longnose trevally is scaleless, extending up to behind the pelvic fin origin and laterally to the pectoral fin base.There are 5 to 9 gill rakers on the first arch and 15 to 18 on the second arch, and the species has 24 vertebrae.
The Long Nosed Trevally is of minor importance to fisheries throughout its range, taken by hook and line, bottom trawls, gill nets and various types of trap. The species is occasionally caught by boat anglers, as well as beach fishermen on the South African coast. They take small baits and are considered good for eating.
Internationally
The Long Nosed Trevally inhabits tropical to subtropical waters in the Indian and west Pacific Oceans, ranging from South Africa and Madagascar, north to the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, east to India, South East Asia, Indonesia, Japan and to Fiji. The longnose trevally has been reported from many west Pacific islands, indicating that it s widespread in this region. The species ranges as far north as the Okinawa, Japan and as far south as northern Australia and New Zealand.
Australia
The Long nosed Trevally inhabits the regionm from tropical waters of the central coast of Western Australia, around the north of the country, and south to northern New South Wales. Small juveniles are sometimes seen as far south as Sydney, presumably carried south by the east Australian current.