Southern saratoga

Southern saratoga can grow up to . At sexual maturity, they are usually in length. They are primitive, surface-dwelling fish with strongly compressed bodies. They have an almost perfectly flat back, with a dorsal fin set back towards the tail of their long bodies. In colouration, they are dark brown to olive green along the back, with lighter sides and a white belly. The large, bony scales have small orange or red dots. The lower jaw slopes steeply upwards and carries two fleshy barbels on the chin. Like all Scleropages, S. leichardti is a long-bodied fish with large scales, large pectoral fins, and small paired barbels on its lower jaw. Each scale on its dark coloured body has a red or pink spot; this feature distinguishes it from S. jardinii, which has several reddish spots on each scale in a crescent shape. S. leichardti is a slimmer fish than other Scleropages; a fish was weighed at only , compared to , for a S. jardinii of similar length. The depth of its body is 23–25% of its Standard Length, and it has fewer fin rays than S. jardinii. It is a popular aquarium fish, although it will eat other fish, shrimp, yabbies etc., that are in the tank. ==Distribution and habitat==

Southern saratoga are native to the Fitzroy River system. They are commonly found in freshwater impoundments on the Mary, Dawson and Burnett rivers. Stocks have also been introduced to dams on the Brisbane, North Pine and Noosa Rivers. Southern saratoga prefer still waters and slow flowing sections of rivers and can be found sheltering in lily-pads or below fallen timber. They are very aggressive and territorial fish. ==Conservation status==

This species is not currently listed on any CITES appendix. . Its IUCN Red List status is Lower Risk/near threatened (LT/nt). Although it does not occur naturally in Indonesia, it is a protected species in that country. It has been stocked in a number of dams in Queensland, Australia. ==References==