Asia and the Indonesian island chain. Its range extends south to northern Australia, north to Taiwan and Japan, and as far east as Palau, Tonga, and New Caledonia in the Pacific. The yellowspotted trevally predominantly inhabits inshore lagoons and rocky or coral reef systems, although is occasionally found in seagrass meadows, around offshore islands and on deep sand banks to depths around 100 m. It is intolerant of low salinities, so does not enter estuaries. Biology and fishery The yellowspotted trevally lives either alone or in large schools, with smaller groups often patrolling the edges of reefs in search of food and large solitary fish are known to patrol seagrass beds in search of prey. The species' diet consists of small fish such as anchovies, a wide range of crustaceans, including swimming crabs, mantis shrimp, and prawns, and cephalopods such as squid. Preliminary dietary information collected from the North West Shelf of Australia shows C. fulvoguttatus and C. gymnostethus inhabit very similar habitats, and are able to do so by partitioning their diets, with C. fulvoguttatus taking more fish and cephalopods, while C. gymnostethus predominantly takes crustaceans. The only data on reproduction in the species come from Palau, where large spawning aggregations form in the third quarter of the lunar month. Spawning takes place in South Africa over the summer. The yellowspotted trevally is of moderate importance to fisheries throughout its range, so catch statistics are rarely kept for this species specifically. One exception is Saudi Arabia, with the FAO reporting a yearly catch between 128 and 324 tonnes between 2000 and 2004, with no apparent trends in the catch data. The species is taken by hook and line, gill nets, and various traps. The yellowspotted trevally is of major importance to anglers and spearfishermen in some countries, with the species highly valued in Australia and South Africa. Surveys of recreational catches in the Pilbara region of Western Australia indicate around 5 tonnes of fish are taken every year, with around 3 tonnes kept for consumption or use as bait. Fish are mostly caught from boats using small baits including fish and crab, as well as lures, minnows, metal slugs, soft plastic lures, and even saltwater flies. It is an excellent gamefish, with young fish also considered good table fish, becoming somewhat dry with age. The yellowspotted trevally is also considered a good candidate for aquaculture in the future. References