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Black Snoek
Thyrsitoides marleyi Fowler, 1929
A 1.76 m long (14.75 kg) Black Snoek caught on hook and line by C. Facey at a depth of 390 m, 30 km off Ballina, New South Wales, January 2004. Photo © I. Cameron. View larger image.
Head of the Black Snoek showing the large eye and fang-like teeth. Photo © I. Cameron. View larger image.
The Black Snoek has a very elongate, compressed body. It has a large mouth with huge fang-like teeth at the front of the upper jaw. There are cartilaginous processes at the front of both jaws. This species has well developed pelvic fins and a caudal peduncle that lacks keels. There are two lateral lines - one high on the back and the other on the mid-side of the body.
It grows to around 1.8 m in length.
The Black Snoek is a pelagic, schooling species that occurs in tropical and temperate waters of the Indo-West Pacific down to depths of 400 m or greater.
In Australia it is known from off southern to central Western Australia
and northern to southern New South Wales.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Related links
- Common Gemfish fact sheet
- Escolar fact sheet
- Snake Mackerel fact sheet
- View the Mackerels, Tunas, Gemfish, Escolars list
Further Reading
- Nakamura, I. & N.V. Parin. 2001 Gempylidae. Snake mackerels. in Carpenter, K.E. & V.H. Niem (Eds). FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 6. Bony Fishes part 4 (Labridae to Latimeriidae), estuarine crocodiles, sea turtles, sea snakes and marine mammals. FAO, Rome. Pp. iii-v, 3381-4218.
