golden trevally
Gnathanodon speciosus (Forsskål, 1775)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Goldmakrele (Gnathanodon speciosus) im Haus des Meeres / Wien
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Open encyclopedia reference
The golden trevally (Gnathanodon speciosus), also known as the golden kingfish, banded trevally or king trevally, is a species of large marine fish classified in the jack and horse mackerel family Carangidae, and the only member of the monospecific genus Gnathanodon. The golden trevally is widely distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, ranging from South Africa in the west to Central America in the east, extending to Japan in the north and Australia in the south. The species predominantly occupies inshore waters where it inhabits both reef and sandy substrates. The golden trevally is easily distinguished from its relatives by its fleshy, rubbery lips and unique colouration, which ranges from bright yellow with black bars as a juvenile to a golden-silvery colour as an adult. It is known to grow to 120 centimetres (47 in) in length and 15 kilograms (33 lb) in weight. The golden trevally schools as a juvenile, often closely following larger objects including sharks and jellyfish.
Wikipedia contributors, Golden trevally; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:00:44.997480+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Gnathanodon speciosus (Forsskål, 1775)
- Name authority
- (Forsskål, 1775)
- Common name
- golden trevally
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Carangiformes
- Family
- Carangidae
- Genus
- Gnathanodon
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCarangiformes
- familyCarangidae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusGnathanodon Bleeker, 1850
- speciesGnathanodon speciosus (Forsskål, 1775)
Close classified relatives
No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Scomber speciosus Forsskål, 1775 Forsskål, 1775 | synonym |
| Gnathonodon speciosus (Forsskål, 1775) (Forsskål, 1775) | synonym |
| Gnathandon speciosus (Forsskål, 1775) (Forsskål, 1775) | synonym |
| Gnathanodon specious (Forsskål, 1775) (Forsskål, 1775) | synonym |
| Gnathodon speciosus (Forsskål, 1775) (Forsskål, 1775) | synonym |
| Caranx speciosus (Forsskål, 1775) (Forsskål, 1775) | synonym |
| Caranx cives De Vis, 1884 De Vis, 1884 | synonym |
| Caranx edentulus Alleyne & MacLeay, 1877 Alleyne & MacLeay, 1877 | synonym |
| Caranx panamensis Gill, 1863 Gill, 1863 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=218429 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3GL7L. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.