World's oldest tropical fish found in Australia 'survived WWII', can you guess its age?

As part of a study, scientists from Australian Institute of Marine Science in the Rowley Shoals have discovered an 81-year-old midnight snapper, which is considered to be the oldest tropical reef fish in the world. As per the study, Snappers are highly valued by the global fisheries. Also, they are a large component of catches of tropical and subtropical multispecies fishery and are often associated with other meso-predators such as epinephelids and lethrinid. 

Oldest Tropical Fish Discovered 

The research shows that the species of the genus Lutjanus have some of the greatest recorded longevity among tropical reef fishes, with maximum recorded ages of 55 years. Extended longevity is usually the trait of species that live in environments where recruitment success is highly variable and is thought to be a hedge-betting strategy. This ensures that recruitment events coincide with species that live in environments where recruitment success is highly variable and is thought to be a hedge-betting strategy. The study focusses on three species that are not targeted by fishing in the region: the red bass (Lutjanus bohar), midnight snapper (Macolor macularis), and black and white snapper (Macolor niger).

(Summary of sample locations and demographic composition for Lutjanus bohar, Macolor niger, and Macolor macularis from Western Australia and Chagos Archipelago. Image Credits: Link.springer.com)

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Also, 10 other fishes, which were more than 60-year-old were identified in the Rowley Shoals in 1977. One of these 10 fishes was 79-year-old. The study says that ‘exceptional longevity’ was discovered in all species. Also, corresponding patterns of age-based demography that varied predictably across latitude were observed. L. bohar and M. macularis were identified as the longest-lived reef-associated fishes from the tropics recorded to date, with a single L. bohar from the Rowley Shoals.

(Patterns of length-at-age and longevity for a Lutjanus bohar, b Macolor niger, and c Macolor macularis from sites along the latitudinal gradient of tropical Western Australia and Chagos Archipelago. Image Credits: Link.springer.com)

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The study said, “These estimates are two decades greater than that of any fish species from this environment ever recorded; overall, we recorded seven L. bohar and four M. macularis >_ 60 yrs” .Published in the Journal named 'Coral Reefs', the research focusses on four locations along the Western Australia coast, as well as the protected Chagos Archipelago in the central Indian Ocean. The snapper is thought to have been born in 1935. However, the elderly sea bass hatched during the First World War.

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(Image Credits: Unsplash)