Yellow-Tailed Grunter

Amniataba caudavittata

The yellow-tailed grunter (Amniataba caudavittata), also known as the flagtailed terapon, is a species of grunter in the family Terapontidae, native to Australia and Papua New Guinea. Adults reach about 27 cm with a robust, compressed body displaying silvery-grey coloration and a distinctive yellow caudal fin marked with horizontal dark stripes. This species is remarkably euryhaline, inhabiting both freshwater and marine environments including estuaries, rivers, mangrove creeks, and coastal lagoons at depths of 0-5 meters from Cape Leeuwin in Western Australia along the north coast to Bowen, Queensland. They produce grunting sounds by grinding their pharyngeal teeth, amplified by the swim bladder. Yellow-tailed grunters feed on insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and plant matter. Their ability to thrive in diverse salinities makes them one of the most adaptable Australian fish species, encountered in habitats ranging from freshwater billabongs to coral reef flats.