Monodactylus argenteus

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Monodactylus argenteus
Silver Moony.jpg
A juvenile
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Acanthuriformes
Family: Monodactylidae
Genus: Monodactylus
Species:
M. argenteus
Binomial name
Monodactylus argenteus
Synonyms
  • Chaetodon argenteusLinnaeus, 1758
  • Psettus argenteus(Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Scomber rhombeusForsskål, 1775
  • Psettus rhombeus(Forsskål, 1775)

Monodactylus argenteus is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Monodactylidae, the moonyfishes. Its common name includes silver moonyfish, natal moony, [2] butter bream, and diamondfish. [3] It is native to the western Pacific and the Indian Ocean, including the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, and associated estuaries such as the Mekong Delta. [2]

Contents

Etymology

The specific epithet of this species, argenteus, is Latin for "silvery". This may be a reference to its silvery hue.

Description

This species reaches a maximum length of about 27 cm. It is of a bright shiny silver color with yellowish edges to the fins, [2] and the dorsal and anal fins have black tips. [3] Juveniles have more yellow coloration [2] and have two vertical black bands, one across the eye and the other just behind the operculum. [4]

A school of silver moony fish swimming above corals off the coast of Madagascar. Fishes Mada.JPG
A school of silver moony fish swimming above corals off the coast of Madagascar.

Habitat

This species occurs in a wide variety of habitat types, including the open ocean, brackish waters, and the freshwater habitat of rivers [2] (for instance, in Australia, it can be found in harbors and estuaries around piers [3] ). Its ability to survive in a wide range of salinities makes it a model organism in the study of salinity tolerance. [4] [5] Juveniles are especially tolerant to salinity changes, easily maintaining homeostasis in variable environments such as estuaries. [4]

Behavior

Although this species displays territorial behavior, [2] it can be kept in saltwater aquaria and is easy to rear in captivity. [5] It can remain solitary or form schools. It is a detritivore and planktivore.

Parasites

The myxozoan parasite Kudoa monodactyli is found on and named after this fish. [6]

References

  1. ↑ Azeroual, A.; Kaymaram, F.; Abdulqader, E.; Alnazry, H.; Al-Husaini, M.; Almukhtar, M.; Hartmann, S.; Alam, S.; Sparks, J.S. (2017). "Monodactylus argenteus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017 e.T166925A46644370. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T166925A46644370.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Froese, R. and D. Pauly, Editors. Monodactylus argenteus. FishBase. 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 Monodactylus argenteus. Fishes of Australia.
  4. 1 2 3 Kang, C., et al. (2012). Effects of low environmental salinity on the cellular profiles and expression of Na, K-ATPase and Na, K, 2Cl 2 cotransporter 1 of branchial mitochondrion-rich cells in the juvenile marine fish Monodactylus argenteus. Archived 12 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine Fish Physiol Biochem 38 665–678.
  5. 1 2 Yang, S., et al. (2015) Comparisons of two types of teleostean pseudobranchs, silver moony (Monodactylus argenteus) and tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus), with salinity‑dependent morphology and ion transporter expression. Archived 6 February 2022 at the Wayback Machine J Comp Physiol B185 677–693.
  6. ↑ Gunter, N. L., et al. (2006). Characterization of Kudoa monodactyli n. sp.(Myxosporea: Multivalvulida) from the muscle of Monodactylus argenteus (Teleostei: Monodactylidae) from Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology 53(5), 374.
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