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Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Perciformes (Perch-likes) > Nemipteridae (Threadfin breams, Whiptail breams)
Etymology: Nemipterus: Greek, nema, -atos = filament + Greek, pteron = wing, fin (Ref. 45335).

Environment / Climate / Range Ecology

Marine; demersal; non-migratory; depth range 1 - 220 m (Ref. 9785), usually 18 - 33 m (Ref. 54679). Tropical, preferred 27°C (Ref. 107945); 39°N - 20°S, 106°E - 140°E (Ref. 54679)

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Western Pacific: southern Japan to northwestern Australia and the Arafura Sea.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ?, range 15 - ? cm
Max length : 35.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3810); common length : 23.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3810)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8. Suborbital spine absent. Preopercle with 3 transverse scale rows. Pectoral and pelvic fins long, reaching to between level of anus and origin of anal fin. Upper lobe of caudal fin produced to form a trailing filament. A line drawn up from the posterior edge of suborbital reaching the dorsal profile 5 to 7 scale rows before origin of dorsal fin. Axillary scale present. Body color pink, paler below. Head pink, a yellow stripe from upper lip extending to antero-ventral margin of eye. Two faint yellow bars across cheek sometimes present. Pelvic fins with yellow stripes.

Inhabits muddy or sandy bottoms. Young fish generally occur in shallower water between 18 and 33 m. Feeds on crustaceans, fish and cephalopods. One of the most important commercial fish in the East China Sea and northern South China Sea. May be made into fish balls (Ref. 4931).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

This species is a rudimentary hermaphrodite in which males have functional testes with rudimentary ovarian portions that remain throughout their life.

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Russell, B.C., 1990. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 12. Nemipterid fishes of the world. (Threadfin breams, whiptail breams, monocle breams, dwarf monocle breams, and coral breams). Family Nemipteridae. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of nemipterid species known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(12):149p. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 3810)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Vulnerable (VU) (A2bd)

CITES (Ref. 94142)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial

FAO(fisheries: production, species profile; publication : search) | FisheriesWiki | Sea Around Us

More information

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Common names
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Fecundity
Eggs
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Age/Size
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Length-weight
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Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
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Internet sources

Nemipterus virgatus (Houttuyn, 1782)