AnimalTracks.wiki

What the sources say

BarramundiLates calcarifer

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Barramundi profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 46 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

Profile updated

Source
01

FishBase

Lates calcarifer (Bloch, 1790): Barramundi. FishBase.

The page saysA fish that mostly matures as a male and switches to female as it grows
The source saysMost barramundi mature first as males and function as males for one or more spawning seasons before undergoing sex inversion.
The page saysa maximum length of 200 cm
The source saysMax length : 200 cm TL male/unsexed
The page saysCoastal waters, estuaries and rivers of the Indo-West Pacific, from the Persian Gulf to China and northern Australia
The source saysFound in coastal waters, estuaries and lagoons, in clear to turbid water
The page saysfrom the Persian Gulf to China and northern Australia
The source saysIndo-West Pacific: eastern edge of the Persian Gulf to China, Taiwan and southern Japan, southward to southern Papua New Guinea and northern Australia.
The page saysrivers
The source saysA diadromous fish, inhabiting rivers before returning to the estuaries to spawn.
The page saysFishes and crustaceans; juveniles also eat insects
The source saysFeed on fishes and crustaceans.
The page saysjuveniles also eat insects
The source saysJuveniles also eat insects
The page saysSex change: most mature as males, then switch to female as they grow
The source saysMost barramundi mature first as males and function as males for one or more spawning seasons before undergoing sex inversion.
The page saysMost barramundi mature as males. They spawn as males for one or more seasons, then go through "sex inversion" and become female.
The source saysMost barramundi mature first as males and function as males for one or more spawning seasons before undergoing sex inversion.
The page saysFish that work this way are called protandrous hermaphrodites.
The source saysBarramundi are protandrous hermaphrodites, i.e., they undergo sex reversion during their life cycle.
The page saysThe longest barramundi reach 200 cm, though 150 cm is more common
The source saysMax length : 200 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7050 ); common length : 150 cm NG male/unsexed
The page saysthe heaviest published weight is 60 kg
The source saysmax. published weight: 60.0 kg
The page saysThe oldest age reported is 35 years.
The source saysmax. reported age: 35 years
The page saysThe body is long and slim, with a large mouth whose upper jaw reaches behind the eye.
The source saysBody elongate; mouth large, slightly oblique, upper jaw extending behind the eye.
The page saysTheir range spans the Indo-West Pacific, from the eastern Persian Gulf to southern Japan and south to northern Australia.
The source saysIndo-West Pacific: eastern edge of the Persian Gulf to China, Taiwan and southern Japan, southward to southern Papua New Guinea and northern Australia.
The page saysThey are demersal, living near the bottom, with a depth range of 10 to 40 m.
The source saysMarine; freshwater; brackish; demersal; catadromous (Ref. 138269 ); depth range 10 - 40 m
The page saysMaturing males leave fresh water at the start of the wet (monsoon) season and head downstream to spawn with females already living in the estuaries.
The source saysMaturing male barramundi migrate downstream from freshwater habitats at the start of the wet (monsoon) season to spawn with resident females in estuaries
The page saysThey spawn at full and new moon, mostly as a rising tide begins, and the incoming water carries the eggs into the estuary.
The source saysBarramundi spawn on the full moon and new moon, primarily at the beginning of an incoming tide which carries the eggs into the estuary
The page saysEstimates of a female's output run as high as 2.3 million eggs per kg of body weight.
The source saysFemale barramundi are capable of producing large numbers of eggs, with estimates as high as 2.3 million eggs per kg of body weight
The page saysAdults and juveniles can live in fresh water, but the embryos need brackish water to develop.
The source saysWhile adults and juveniles are capable of living in fresh water, brackish waters are required for embryonic development
The page saysMost barramundi mature as males, spend one or more spawning seasons as males, and then switch to female. Biologists call this protandry.
The source saysMost barramundi mature first as males and function as males for one or more spawning seasons before undergoing sex inversion.
The page saysA few females develop directly from immature fish
The source saysA few females will develop directly from immature fish
The page sayssome males may never switch
The source saysSimilarly, some males may never undergo sex inversion
The page saysFishBase lists a maximum total length of 200 cm and a maximum published weight of 60 kg, but 150 cm is a more typical size.
The source saysMax length : 200 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7050 ); common length : 150 cm NG male/unsexed; (Ref. 9799 ); max. published weight: 60.0 kg
The page saysLarvae and young juveniles live in brackish swamps, older juveniles in the upper reaches of rivers, and adults breed in estuaries.
The source saysLarvae and young juveniles live in brackish temporary swamps associated with estuaries, and older juveniles inhabit the upper reaches of rivers
The page saysadults breed in estuaries
The source saysBreed in estuaries throughout the Indo-Pacific.
The page saysIts record age is 35 years.
The source saysmax. reported age: 35 years
The page saysSpawning crowds gather in or around river mouths.
The source saysSpawning aggregations occur in or around the mouths of rivers
The page saysFresh water suits adults and juveniles, but the developing embryos need brackish water.
The source saysWhile adults and juveniles are capable of living in fresh water, brackish waters are required for embryonic development
The page saysBarramundi spawn at full and new moon, mostly as a rising tide begins
The source saysBarramundi spawn on the full moon and new moon, primarily at the beginning of an incoming tideNote: vibe.reason

Source
02

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Lates calcarifer (Asian seabass). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysLarger fish get around 80% of their diet from bony fish.
The source saysLarger fish have diets of around 80% bony fish.
The page saysThey swallow prey whole, sucking it into that big mouth.
The source saysBarramundi swallow their food whole, sucking their prey into their fairly large mouths.
The page saysModerate cannibalism is fairly common.
The source saysModerate cannibalism is fairly common in barramundi
The page saysReflective eyes help them see better in the dark.
The source saysBarramundi have reflective eyes which allow them to see better in dark conditions.
The page saysYoung barramundi are brown with three white stripes on the head, and they can dim or hide those markings at will.
The source saysJuveniles are brown (sometimes grayish-brown) with three white stripes on the head and scattered white spots elsewhere. The markings can be dimmed or may disappear at will.
The page saysBoth young and adult barramundi fall prey to Australian pelicans and file snakes.
The source saysAustralian pelicans ( Pelecanus conspicillatus ) (Hitchcock, 2007) and file snakes ( Acrochordus arafurae ) (Shine, 1986) feed on both juvenile and adult barramundi.

Source
03

Moore 1979

Moore (1979). Natural Sex Inversion in the Giant Perch ( Lates calcarifer ). Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research.

The page saysOne study dissected 5,202 mature fish.
The source saysLength frequencies, calculated from the dissection of 5202 mature specimens
The page saysThe small ones were almost all male, and the share of females rose with length.
The source saysThe smaller length classes are almost exclusively male, the percentage of females increasing with increased total length.
The page saysMales bunched around 89.5 cm, females around 101.5 cm.
The source saysgive a male mode at 89.5 cm and a much smaller female one at 101.5 cm
The page saysChanging sex requires a complete rebuild of the gonad, the organ that makes eggs or sperm, in both structure and function.
The source saysinversion of sex requires a complete reorganization of gonad structure as well as function
The page saysFew fish were caught mid-change, which the researchers put down to a rapid transition and to not sampling when changes are most likely.
The source saysFew hermaphrodite gonads were detected, this being attributed to a rapid transition phase from male to female and the lack of sampling during the period when transitions are most likely to occur
The page saysSome males may never switch.
The source saysalso the possibility that some males do not undergo the change to female
The page saysOverall, males outnumbered females 3.8 to 1 in that study.
The source saysThe overall sex ratio is 3.8:1 in favour of males.

Source
04

Norin, Malte & Clark 2013

Norin, Malte & Clark (2013). Aerobic scope does not predict the performance of a tropical eurythermal fish at elevated temperatures. Journal of Experimental Biology.

The page saysJuvenile barramundi have an upper lethal limit of 40 to 41 degrees C
The source saysa temperature approaching the upper lethal limit (40-41°C)
The page saysin a lab study, given a choice, they settled at a median of 31.7 degrees C
The source saysthe fish selected a median temperature of 31.7 ± 0.5°C

Source
05

Pal & Morgan 2019

Pal & Morgan (2019). Lates calcarifer. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T166627A1139469.

The page saysLeast Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.