The coachwhip trevally (Carangoides oblongus), also known as the oblong trevally or oblique-banded trevally, is a species of inshore marine fish classified in the jack family Carangidae. The coachwhip trevally is distributed through the Indo-west Pacific region, ranging from South Africa in the west to Fiji and Japan in the east. It is a moderately large fish, growing to a known maximum length of 46 cm and can be distinguished from similar species by an array of detailed morphological features including dentition, fin ray counts and scale patterns. The coachwhip trevally inhabits coastal waters throughout its range, known to prefer estuarine waters in a number of localities. Nothing is known of its diet or reproductive biology, and is of little importance to fisheries, occasionally taken as bycatch in trawl and hook and line fisheries. Taxonomy and naming The coachwhip trevally is classified within the genus Carangoides, a group of fish commonly called jacks and trevallies. Carangoides falls into the jack and horse mackerel family Carangidae, the Carangidae are part of the order Carangiformes. The species was first scientifically described by the French naturalist Georges Cuvier in 1833 based on a specimen taken from the waters of New Guinea which was designated to be the holotype. Cuvier named this new species Caranx oblongus, placing it in a related genus of jacks with the specific epithet meaning 'oblong' in reference to the species shape. Over time, it was reclassified first into the now invalid genus Carangichthys and finally into Carangoides where it has remained. The species was also independently redescribed and classified several times, first as Caranx auriga by Charles De Vis, Citula gracilis by William Ogilby and as Caranx tanakai by Yojiro Wakiya. These names all were applied after Cuvier's initial, correct naming making them junior synonyms under ICZN rules, rendering them invalid. The common names applied to the species are descriptive, with the name 'coachwhip trevally' in allusion to the elongated, whip-like dorsal fin lobe. Description The coachwhip trevally is a moderately large fish, known to grow to a known maximum length of 46 cm. It is similar in shape to most other carangids, especially the shadow trevally, Carangoides dinema, which it also resembles in having a 'shadowed' appearance under its second dorsal fin. It can be distinguished from C. dinema by fin ray and lateral line scale and scute counts. It has a compressed, oblong body with the dorsal