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Stout Longtom
Tylosurus gavialoides (Castelnau, 1873)
A Stout Longtom just below the surface, Bass Point, Shellharbour, New South Wales, March 2005. Photo © S. Schulz. View larger image.
The Stout Longtom is a long slender species that has many needle-like teeth in its greatly elongated jaws. The dorsal and anal fins are positioned towards the rear of the body. The caudal fin is truncate although it can be weakly emarginate in adults.
This fish is blue to green or grey above and silvery below. The snout and fins of adults are usually dusky.
It grows to 1.3 m in length.
The Stout Longtom is a pelagic species that occurs in coral reef and inshore waters.
It is endemic to Australia, occurring from south-western Western Australia, around the tropical north of the country and south to the southern coast of New South Wales.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
This species has also been called the Alligator Gar and Needlefish.
Related links
- Barred Longtom fact sheet
- View the Longtom list
Further reading
- Collette, B.B. Belonidae. in Carpenter, K.E. & V.H. Niem. 1999. The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 4. Bony fishes part 2 (Mugilidae to Carangidae). FAO. Rome Pp. iii-v, 2069-2790.
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
