Silver trevally
Pseudocaranx georgianus (formerly Pseudocaranx dentex)
Illustration: Bloom by Day
Greenish-blue over bright silver, with a diffuse dark spot on the top of the gill cover and, on younger fish, a yellow stripe down the middle of the side. It schools in midwater over reef and sand and will circle a diver for a while before losing interest.
how to recognise it
- a rather large diffuse black spot on the upper margin of the gill cover
- greenish-blue above, silvery below
- juveniles and sub-adults usually carry a yellow stripe down the middle of the side, and a faint yellow stripe along the bases of the dorsal and anal fins
- the rear margin of the upper jaw is nearly vertical
don’t confuse with
- Giant trevally — the giant trevally is deep-bodied with a steep blunt head and no yellow side stripe, and gets far bigger
- Golden trevally — the golden trevally has scattered black spots and no yellow midside stripe
Field marks read from Fishes of Australia, 2026-10-15. Our wording, their facts. Max size 94 cm TL.
facts
- habitat
- reef
- size
- ~45 cm, to 94 cm
Max size from Fishes of Australia (94 cm TL); the typical size is Bluebird’s, not from a cited source
- records near here
- 8 at 3 of 6 spots
A count of occurrence records near these spots, not abundance. Records are where someone looked.
when it has been recorded
JFMAMJJASOND
A gap means no record in the sample, not absence.
the rule
NSW — 30 cm · 10 in total, 20 in possession
source
· verified 2026-10-01
QLD — None · Combined limit: 20 in total of all trevally species
source
· verified 2026-10-10
no closed season recorded for this species — that is not the same as open; check the official page
Rules checked 2026-10-13 against qld.gov.au
Rules change. Check before you dive.
Occurrence data: Atlas of Living Australia (ala.org.au), CC-BY 4.0.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.