Osteoglossidae

Southern saratoga

Scleropages leichardti

A sudden body kink recalls young to her mouth

• Gray
• Green
• Silver
• Yellow
• Tropical
• Regional distribution
• Freshwater fish
• South America
• Elongated
• Large
• Tropical fish

Displaying a galaxy of fine orange-red stippling across each armor plate, the southern saratoga is an iconic ancient freshwater osteoglossid endemic to river catchments in eastern Queensland, Australia. Its elongated, knife-shaped body features an almost perfectly straight, horizontal dorsal line that meets an olive-green or dark brown back shading into silvery-grey flanks. Unlike the northern pearl arowana, each of its large mosaic scales is sprinkled with one to four small, circular, intense red or orange spots rather than crescent bars, and it possesses more lateral line scales (forty-four to forty-seven). An oblique mouth opens toward the surface, flanked on the chin by two sensitive barbels. Endemic to the Fitzroy River basin and adjacent reservoirs in eastern Australia, it occupies deep river pools, tranquil channels, and lily lagoons. A stealthy visual surface predator, it cruises quietly near riverbanks before leaping powerfully into the air to catch cicadas, spiders, frogs, and forage fishes. Females practice dedicated mouthbrooding, incubating eggs for five to six weeks. Maximum recorded length reaches one hundred centimetres.

Sources: Australian Museum — Saratoga, Scleropages leichardti