| Family: |
Stromateidae (Butterfishes) |
| Max. size: |
60 cm SL (male/unsexed); max. reported age: 7 years |
| Environment: |
benthopelagic; marine; depth range 5 - 110 m, oceanodromous |
| Distribution: |
Indo-West Pacific: Persian Gulf to Indonesia, north to Hokkaido, Japan. Extralimital captures have been made from the Adriatic and off Hawaii. Not recorded from Australasia. Northeastern Atlantic: 3 reports of capture reported from this area (Ref. 86350). |
| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 37-43; Vertebrae: 34-37. Body firm, very deep, oval, and compressed. Operculum absent; gill opening reduced to a vertical slit on the side of the body; gill membrane broadly united to isthmus. Dorsal and anal fins preceded by a series of 5 to 10 blade-like spines with anterior and posterior points. Pelvic fins absent. Caudal fin deeply forked, the lower lobe longer than the upper. Color is gray above grading to silvery white towards the belly, with small black dots all over the body. Fins are faintly yellow; vertical fins with dark edges. |
| Biology: |
Inshore species, usually in schools over muddy bottoms, associated with fish species like Nemipterus and Leiognathus. Adults feed on ctenophores, salps, medusae, and other zooplankton groups. Western populations spawn from late winter through the summer with peaks from April to June. Sold fresh in local markets or shipped frozen to urban centers. Used in Chinese medicine (Ref. 12166). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
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