Redbelly yellowtail fusilier (Caesio cuning)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Teleostei · Order: Eupercaria incertae sedis · Family: Caesionidae · Genus: Caesio.

Accepted name: Caesio cuning · Authority: (Bloch, 1791) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 278536.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Caesio cunning (Bloch, 1791); Caesio erythrochilurus Fowler, 1904; Caesio erythrogaster Cuvier, 1830; Cichla cuning (Bloch, 1791); Sparus cuning Bloch, 1791.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=278536 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

Measured values published by FishBase for Caesio cuning. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 60 cm · Depth range: 1–60 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: fusiform / normal · Vulnerability index: 44 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

FishBase notes: Often in silty areas with low visibility at 1-30 m depth (Ref. 90102). Inhabits coastal areas, usually over rocky and coral reefs. Forms schools in midwater and feeds on zooplankton.

Oviparous, with numerous, small pelagic eggs (Ref. 402). Taken primarily by handline in Sri Lanka; caught mostly by fish traps in western Thailand and Malaysia; caught in trawls in the Gulf of Thailand; caught by a variety of methods including drive-in nets, fish traps and gill nets in Indonesia, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea. The most ancestral living caesionid species.

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 919) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Caesio-cuning.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

6,984 georeferenced occurrence records for Caesio cuning are published through GBIF from 31 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 184 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 36 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.

Most records by country or area: Australia (3,404); Solomon Islands (1,945); Indonesia (884); Philippines (352); Palau (82).

The full country table, WoRMS marine regions and the sampling notes are on this species' Distribution page.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2374789) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2374789&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=278536 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Caesio cuning (Bloch, 1791) as Least Concern (code LC). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.

Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 20249232) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/20249232/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2374789) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2374789/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Caesio cuning was first formally described in 1791 as Sparus cuning by the German zoologist Marcus Elieser Bloch with the type locality given as Indonesia. This species has been placed in the subgenus Odontonectes. The specific name cuning is derived from the local Indonesian name ikan Tembra Cuning, ikan means "fish".

Description

Caesio cuning has a deep and laterally compressed body. The jaws, vomer, and palatines have small conical teeth. The dorsal and anal fins have scales; the dorsal fin has 10 spines and 14 to 16, typically 15, soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 10 to 12, usually 11, soft rays. The pectoral fins have 17 to 20 fin rays, normally 18 or 19.

This species attains a maximum total length of 60 cm. The rear of the back, the caudal fin and the dorsal surface of the caudal peduncle are yellow. The rest of the upper body is greyish blue.

The lower flanks and abdomen are white or pinkish. The pectoral, pelvic, and anal fins are white to pink. The pectoral fin has black on its axil and on the upper part of its base. The dorsal fin is greyish-blue at the front and yellow at the rear.

Distribution and habitat

Caesio cuning has an Indo-West Pacific range. It ranges from Sri Lanka and southern India east to Fiji, north to southern Japan and south to northern Australia. It occurs at depths between 1 and 60 m. It often occurs in silty areas where visibility is poor, otherwise it is found in coastal waters, typically above rocky and coral reefs.

Biology

Caesio cuning gathers in midwater schools where they feed on zooplankton such as salps, doliolids, pteropods, heteropods, chaetognaths, among other zooplankton. It is an oviparous species which lays large numbers of small, pelagic eggs.

Fisheries

Caesio cuning is a moderately important target for coastal fisheries. It is common in fish markets in Indonesia and the Philippines. They are caught using drive-in nets, gill nets, traps, trawls and handlines.

The fish caught are normally sold as fresh fish but some of the catch is preserved as salted fish. The juveniles are caught to be used as bait by tuna fisheries. There have been population declines in some areas because of overfishing but in other areas populations are stable.

Source: Wikipedia: Caesio cuning — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesio_cuning (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.