| Family: |
Nemipteridae (Threadfin breams, Whiptail breams) |
| Max. size: |
17.31 cm SL (male/unsexed) |
| Environment: |
reef-associated; marine; depth range 2 - 30 m |
| Distribution: |
Indo-Pacific: northern Indian Ocean (except Red Sea, Arabian Gulf, east African coast, or islands of the Western Indian Ocean); from Pakistan, western India, Sri Lanka; Bay of Bengal and Andaman to western Indonesia, East Malaysia and Brunei. |
| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal spines (total): 10-10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-9; Anal spines: 3-3; Anal soft rays: 7-7. This species is distinguished by the following set of characters: head is scaly except for subopercle which is naked with numerous small pores; scales on top of the head reaching forward to or just in front of anterior nostrils; lower margin of eye tangent to or just above a line from snout tip to upper pectoral-fin base; suborbital (second infraorbital) with a large retrorse spine, a small antrorse spine on third infraorbital immediately above suborbital spine; posterior margin of preopercle serrate or denticulate, the lower edge smooth; second anal-fin spine longer and more robust than first or third anal-fin spines. Colouration: most body scales, except for caudal peduncle, with a black spot; caudal peduncle white; a white band is usually present beneath the lateral line, from origin of lateral line to below posterior part of dorsal fin; a broad white bar from the nape onto operculum, and suborbital with distinctive white patch; upper limb of the opercular margin edged brown, and lower limb edged reddish orange; no wedge-shaped dark spot on the upper base of pectoral fin (sometimes small dark spot is present); dorsal, anal and pelvic fins are crimson or orangered; juveniles and smaller subadults without white bar on nape and with dark-edged white band from behind eye to upper part of caudal peduncle (Ref. 130620). |
| Biology: |
Benthic in inshore turbid or weedy waters, usually on sand or mud or rubble bottoms close to reefs, in depths to about 30 m (Ref. 92980), as well as offshore areas (Ref. 9785). Seen solitary, but may school deep (Ref. 48635). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 12 April 2023 Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
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