ANIMALIA / CHORDATA / ACTINOPTERYGII / PERCIFORMES / SCIAENIDAE / ARGYROSOMUS / JAPONICUS
Dusky kob has a silvery body that is greenish brown with a bronze shine dorsally and white below. The inside of the mouth is pale yellow to yellowish grey and the peritoneum is white. Live fish have a pearly sheen on their bodies and usually show a series of bright silver spots along their lateral line when underwater. Dusky kob has a shorter deeper peduncle and a shorter pectoral fin than silver kob (Heemstra and Heemstra 2004).
Eastern coast of South Africa, southern and eastern seaboard of Australia; northern Indian Ocean off Pakistan and northwest coast of India; northern Pacific from Hong Kong northwards along Chinese coast to southern Korea and Japan (Trewavas 1977, Griffiths and Heemstra 1995, Heemstra and Heemstra 2004).
In SA dusky kobs are found along the southeast coast from Cape Point to southern MOZ, although it is most abundant from Cape Agulhas to northern KZN (Griffiths and Heemstra 1995, Heemstra and Heemstra 2004).
Dusky kob is migratory with a large proportion of the population migrating northwards from the eastern Cape and Western Cape to KZN to spawn in winter and spring (Griffiths 1996b). However it is also apparent that some dusky kobs do not migrate and are resident in specific estuaries and adjacent surf-zones and exhibit low levels of dispersal (i.e. ORI Tagging Project, unpubl. Data, Childs 2011)
Adult silver kob are piscivores (Griffiths 1997d), but will also take cephalopods and crustaceans. Small juveniles feed on mysids and calanoid copepods (Marais 1984) and as they grow their diet shifts to teleosts and mysids (Marais 1984, Griffiths 1997d).
Dusky kob is gonochorists (Griffiths 2000) that spawn from October to January in the Eastern and Western Cape and August to November in KZN (Griffiths 1996b). They form spawning aggregation on inshore reefs, pinnacles and wrecks mainly at night (Griffiths 1996b, Connell 2012). Males reach and age at 50% maturity at 5 years and females at 6 years (Griffiths 1996b) and the length at 50% maturity for males is 920mm TL and females 1070mm TL (Griffiths 1996b).
Inshore
This map contains point-based occurrences at different locations
Occurrence in African countries and South African provinces. Residence status indicates if a taxon is indigenous, endemic, or alien in a specific region. This data is based on specimen records and literature.
FSA
SA
BOT
NAM
ESW
LES
WC
EC
NC
FS
GA
KZN
LP
MP
NW
Absent
Indigenous
Endemic
Naturalised
Invasive
Names and Sources
| Common Name | Language |
|---|---|
| Daga Salmon | En |
| Dusky Meagre | En |
| Dusky Kob | En |
| Japanese Meagre | En |
| Kob | En |
| Salmon | En |
| Kabeljou | |
| Giant Kob |
Classification
KINGDOM Animalia
PHYLUM Chordata
CLASS Actinopterygii
ORDER Perciformes
FAMILY Sciaenidae
GENUS Argyrosomus
SPECIES japonicus
No results found for Argyrosomus japonicus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843)
Dusky kobs are heavily exploited in the recreational estuarine and coastal shore angling as well as estuarine and inshore boat fishing, commercial and subsistence fisheries (Griffiths 1996b). It is the primary target in the recreational shore fishery in the eastern Cape (Brouwer et al. 1997) and is also prominent in the recreational shore fishery along the entire east coast in the Transkei and KZN (Pradervand 2004, Pradervand 2007), particularly in estuaries (Mann et al. 2002, Beckley et al. 2008). There is specific targeting of aggregations of these adult fish by skiboats during late winter and spring in KZN, although surveys often don't reflect this as catches are landed at night.
10 results for Argyrosomus japonicus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843)
This map contains point-based occurrences at different locations
2008
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Few fish but many fishers: a case study of shore-based recreational angling in a major South African estuarine portBeckley, LE, Fennessy, ST, Everett, BI. 2008. Few fish but many fishers: a case study of shore-based recreational angling in a major South African estuarine port Vol. 30 pp.11–24.
1997
JOURNAL ARTICLE
A survey of the South African shore-angling fisherySauer, WHH, Lamberth, SJ, Mann, BQ, Brouwer, SL, Erasmus, C. 1997. A survey of the South African shore-angling fishery Vol. 18 pp.165–177.
0
UNPUBLISHED
An assessment of estuarine dependency and habitat connectivity of the iconic sciaenid Argyrosomus japonicus, with implications for fisheries managementChilds, A.R.. 0. An assessment of estuarine dependency and habitat connectivity of the iconic sciaenid Argyrosomus japonicus, with implications for fisheries management. Grahamstown, South Africa. Rhodes University.
2012
REPORT
Marine fish eggs and larvae off the east coast of South AfricaConnell, A.D.. 2012. Marine fish eggs and larvae off the east coast of South Africa.
1996
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Life history of the dusky kob Argyrosomus japonicus (Sciaenidae) off the east coast of South AfricaGriffiths, MH. 1996. Life history of the dusky kob Argyrosomus japonicus (Sciaenidae) off the east coast of South Africa Vol. 17 pp.135–154.
1997
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Influence of prey availability on the distribution of dusky kob Argyrosomus japonicus (Sciaenidae) in the Great Fish River Estuary, with notes on the diet of early juveniles from three other estuarine systemsGriffiths, MH. 1997. Influence of prey availability on the distribution of dusky kob Argyrosomus japonicus (Sciaenidae) in the Great Fish River Estuary, with notes on the diet of early juveniles from three other estuarine systems Vol. 18 pp.137–145.
2000
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Long-term trends in catch and effort of commercial linefish off South Africa's Cape Province: snapshots of the 20th centuryGriffiths, MH. 2000. Long-term trends in catch and effort of commercial linefish off South Africa's Cape Province: snapshots of the 20th century Vol. 22 pp.81–110.
1995
BOOK
A contribution to the taxonomy of the marine fish genus Argyrosomus (Perciformes: Sciaenidae), with descriptions of two new species from southern AfricaHeemstra, Phillip, Griffiths, Marc. 1995. A contribution to the taxonomy of the marine fish genus Argyrosomus (Perciformes: Sciaenidae), with descriptions of two new species from southern Africa. JLB Smith Institute of Ichthyology.
2005
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Do dart tags suppress growth of dusky kob Argyrosomus japonicus?Griffiths, MH, Attwood, CG. 2005. Do dart tags suppress growth of dusky kob Argyrosomus japonicus? Vol. 27 pp.505–508.
2004
BOOK
Coastal fishes of Southern AfricaHeemstra, Phillip, Heemstra, Elaine. 2004. Coastal fishes of Southern Africa. NISC (PTY) LTD.
2013
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Southern African Marine Linefish Species ProfilesMann, B.Q. 2013. Southern African Marine Linefish Species Profiles pp.343.
2002
JOURNAL ARTICLE
An assessment of the recreational fishery in the St Lucia estuarine system, KwaZulu-Natal, South AfricaMann, BQ, Beckley, LE, James, NC. 2002. An assessment of the recreational fishery in the St Lucia estuarine system, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Vol. 24 pp.263–279.
2006
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Towards the declaration of a large marine protected area: a subtidal ichthyofaunal survey of the Pondoland coast in the Eastern Cape, South AfricaMann, BQ, Fennessy, ST, Celliers, L, Bailey, S, Wood, AD. 2006. Towards the declaration of a large marine protected area: a subtidal ichthyofaunal survey of the Pondoland coast in the Eastern Cape, South Africa Vol. 28 pp.535–551.
1984
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Feeding ecology of major carnivorous fish from four eastern Cape estuariesMarais, JFK. 1984. Feeding ecology of major carnivorous fish from four eastern Cape estuaries Vol. 19 pp.210–223.
2004
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Long-term trends in the shore fishery of the Transkei coast, South AfricaPradervand, P. 2004. Long-term trends in the shore fishery of the Transkei coast, South Africa Vol. 39 pp.247–261.
2007
REPORT
Long-term trends in selected shore angling speciesPradervand, P.. 2007. Long-term trends in selected shore angling species. Cape town. Oceanographic Research Institute pp.37.
1977
JOURNAL ARTICLE
The sciaenid fishes (croakers or drums) of the Indo-West-PacificTrewavas, Ethelwynn. 1977. The sciaenid fishes (croakers or drums) of the Indo-West-Pacific Vol. 33 pp.253–541.
2012
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Preliminary assessment of surf-zone and estuarine line-fish species of the Dwesa-Cwebe Marine Protected Area, Eastern Cape, South AfricaMann, Bruce, Venter, J.. 2012. Preliminary assessment of surf-zone and estuarine line-fish species of the Dwesa-Cwebe Marine Protected Area, Eastern Cape, South Africa Vol. 54 pp.19–29.
1975
REPORT
The estuarine fishes of the east coast of South Africa: IV. Occurrence of juveniles in estuaries, V. Biology, estuarine dependence and statusWallace, JH, Van der Elst, RP. 1975. The estuarine fishes of the east coast of South Africa: IV. Occurrence of juveniles in estuaries, V. Biology, estuarine dependence and status. Durban. Oceanographic Research Institute pp.1-63.
Status and criteria
NE
Assessor(s)
Sean Fennessy
Reviewer(s)
Animalia Coordinator
