dorsal fin consisting of one spine and between 16 and 18 soft rays. The anal fin has 2 spines followed by 14 to 17 soft rays. Over the distribution of the species, the vertebrae number differs, with fish in Western Australia having 33 and those in south east Queensland having one or two additional modified vertebrae. Also varying over the range is the lateral line scale count, with Western Australian fish having less than Queensland fish, with the range for the species between 54 and 61 scales. The swim bladder of the species is very similar and in some cases indistinguishable from a related species, Sillago ciliata, with the anterior part of the swim bladder having rudimentary tubules projecting anteriorly and a lateral series of tubules that diminishes in size and become sawtooth-like, projecting posteriorly. The golden lined whiting's common name is derived from its colour, having a dull golden-silver to golden-yellow band running longitudinally on the sides below the lateral line. The body is an overall silver colour, being slightly darker above. The pelvic and anal fins are pale to bright yellow, while the pectoral fin has a darker dusting of fine black-brown spots with no black spot at the base. Distribution and habitat The golden lined whiting is located in the southern Indo-Pacific along the northern coastline of Australia, from Shark Bay in Western Australia north along the coastline of the Northern Territory, around the Queensland coastline to Moreton Bay. The species also extends north to the south coast of Papua New Guinea, although inhabits a small range. The species prefers shallow, protected waters up to a maximum of 10 m depth, often inhabiting protected embayments. The juveniles tend to remain in the warmer, shallow waters of protected inlets, mangroves and estuaries, often with other species of whiting. Adults prefer to inhabit protected muddy tidal streams where they forage in the silty substrate, while other species of whiting in the range move to open tidal sand flats. Biology Diet The diet of the golden lined whiting varies along its range, however it takes similar food and shows the same transition in prey items during its lifetime throughout its distribution. Juvenile fish tend to take a mixture of polychaetes which they 'plough' from the sand, small bivalves, including Mesodesma eltanae and Glauconome virens as well as amphipods while at lengths less than 80 mm. Adult fish tend to take