Branchiostegus japonicus | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Perciformes |
Family: | Malacanthidae |
Genus: | Branchiostegus |
Species: | B. japonicus |
Binomial name | |
Branchiostegus japonicus (Houttuyn, 1782) | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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Branchiostegus japonicus, the horsehead tilefish, Japanese horsehead tilefish, red amadai or the red tilefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It is native to the western Pacific Ocean.
Branchiostegus japonicus has an elongated, fusiform body with slightly oblique jaws which reach back as far as the front third of the pupil. Overall the body is pinkish-red, overlain by a golden tint and with underlying pale yellow blotches. There are also a number of irregular reddish blotches on the back in the middle of the body, these give the impression of the mucus coating having been locally stripped away to show the underlying golden-yellow hue. The fold to the front of the dorsal fin is dark. Unlike some other species in the genus Branchiostegus , there are no silvery bars below the eye but there is a large triangular patch of silvery-white below the eye, which is characteristic, and a smaller similarly shaped white patch is sometimes present on the upper edge of the gill cover. The caudal fin has 5 or 6 vivid yellow stripes with the middle stripes being more obvious than this on the upper and lower caudal fin lobes. [3] This species grows to a length of 46 centimetres (18 in) total length though most are around 35 centimetres (14 in). The greatest recorded weight for this species is 1.3 kilograms (2.9 lb). [2]
Branchiostegus japonicus is found in the Western Pacific Ocean. Here it occurs from Honshu to Kyushu in Japan and in the East China Sea. Its range extends from the coast of China to southern Vietnam and into the waters of the Philippines. It has also been reported from the Arafura Sea but there is a lack of recent information confirming these reports. [1]
Branchiostegus japonicus is found in association with burrows created in soft substrates made up of sand and mud or shell, sand and mud at depths of 30 to 265 m (98 to 869 ft). It is frequently caught at depths of 80 to 200 m (260 to 660 ft) in the East China and Yellow Seas. They spawn twice a year, in July and October, with larvae first appearing in the Sado Straits of the Sea of Japan in October. [3] The fishes excavate their burrows which they used to escape from predators and as nocturnal shelters. [1] They are pelagic spawners, the eggs float in the water column as a mass encased in mucus. [4]
Branchiostegus japonicus was first formally described in 1782 as Coryphaena japonica by the Dutch naturalist Martinus Hottuyn (1720-1798) with the type locality given as Nanao in Japan. [5] When the French naturalist Constantine Samuel Rafinesque (1783-1840) created the genus Branchiostegus in 1815 he used Lacépède's Coryphaenoides hottuynii as the type species. [6]
Branchiostegus japonicus Is an important species for commercial fisheries, especially in Japan. It is taken using longlines and in trawls. The catch increased from 500 tonnes before 1956 to a maximum of 12,460 tonnes in 1970. The catch has declined since 1980 and in recent years have averaged around 6 000 tonnes per annum. The larger, more aggressive males are more easily caught and the fishing effort has increased as the catch has declined, an indicator that management of this fishery is required. It has been considered for mariculture, The flesh is sold fresh, in cans and preserved by salting. [3]
Tilefishes are mostly small perciform marine fish comprising the family Malacanthidae. They are usually found in sandy areas, especially near coral reefs.
Arripis is a genus of marine fishes from Australia and New Zealand, known as Australian salmon, kahawai and Australian herring. They are the only members of the family Arripidae. Despite the common name, Australian salmon are not related to the salmon family Salmonidae of the Northern Hemisphere, just as Australian herring are not related to herring of the Northern Hemisphere, but belong to the order Perciformes of perch-like fishes. Australian salmon were named so by early European settlers after their superficial resemblance to the salmoniform fishes.
Argyrosomus regius, also known as the meagre, croaker, jewfish, shade-fish, sowa, kir, corvina, salmon-bass or stone bass, is a species of fish of the family Sciaenidae. This large fish has a pearly-silver to brownish coloration and a yellow-coloured mouth. It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
Hoplolatilus starcki, Stark's tilefish, purple-headed sand tilefish or bluehead tilefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. This species is native to the central Indo-Pacific.
Hoplolatilus marcosi, the redback sand tilefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It is native to the western central Pacific Ocean.
The ocean whitefish, also known as the ocean tilefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It is native to the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Caulolatilus cyanops, the blackline tilefish or ocean whitefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
The Gulf bareye tilefish, also known as the anchor tilefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It occurs in the western Atlantic Ocean.
Chaenodraco wilsoni, the spiny icefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. It is native to the Southern Ocean. This species is the only known member of its genus. It is of minor interest to commercial fisheries.
The blue blanquillo, Malacanthus latovittatus, also known as the banded blanquillo, striped blanquillo, false whiting, sand tilefish or eye of the sea, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific.
The painted sweetlips, also known as the Australian slatey, blackall, bluey, grey sweetlips, moke, morwong, mother-in-law fish, painted blubber-lips, slate bream, slate sweetlips, smokey bream, thicklip or yellowdot sweetlips is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sweetlips belonging to the family Haemulidae. It is widespread throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific region.
Branchiostegus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes, tilefishes belonging to the family Malacanthidae. They are found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean through the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific Ocean. Here they create burrows in soft substrates in the comparatively deep waters of the continental shelf and slope.
Eubleekeria splendens, common names splendid ponyfish and blacktip ponyfish, is a species of ponyfish.
Pomadasys maculatus, commonly known as the saddle grunt, blotched grunt or blotched javelin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grunt belonging to the family Haemulidae. It is native to the Indo-West Pacific region.
Microcotyle branchiostegi is a species of monogenean, parasitic on the gills of a marine fish. It belongs to the family Microcotylidae.
Malacanthus brevirostris, the quakerfish, flagtail blanquillo, false whiting or stripetail tilefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution.
Caulolatilus chrysops, the Atlantic goldeneye tilefish or gold face tilefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It occurs in the western Atlantic Ocean.
Caulolatilus hubbsi, the Hubbs's tilefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It occurs in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Its specific name honours the American ichthyologist Carl Leavitt Hubbs (1894-1979). Studies have shown that this taxon is not readily distinguishable from Caulolatilus princeps and should be treated as a junior synonym of C. princeps.
Malacanthus plumieri, the sand tilefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
Pterygotrigla polyommata, the latchet, butterfly gurnard, flying gurnard, lachet gurnard, pastry, sharpbeak gurnard, spiny gurnard or spinybeak gurnard, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. It is found in the southeastern Indian and southwestern Pacific Oceans.