Lethrinus microdon

Lethrinus microdon is a species of emperor fish.[1] It is a marine fish, bluish-grey or brown in colour with pale or somewhat orange fins. This species is reef-associated and is often found in small schools, occasionally with Lethrinus olivaceus at depths of 10 to 80 metres. It is widespread in the Indo-West Pacific and other waters. This species is caught commercially and is considered to be an excellent food fish.

Lethrinus microdon
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Perciformes
Family:
Lethrinidae
Genus:
Lethrinus
Species:
L. microdon
Binomial name
Lethrinus microdon
Valenciennes, 1830[1]
Synonyms

Lethrinella microdon Valenciennes, 1830)
Lethrinus acutus Klunzinger, 1884
Lethrinus elongatus Valenciennes, 1830

Common names

Common names include the following, or variants thereof:

  • Smalltooth emperor[2][3][4]
  • Longface emperor
  • Longnosed emperor[5]
  • Pigface bream[6]

Description

This species is bluish-grey or brown in colour with pale or somewhat orange fins, and has a moderately long snout.[3][2] It commonly has dark, scattered, irregular blotches on its sides. Some specimens have three streaks of dark colouration radiating away from the eye toward the snout.[3][2] It is a relatively elongate fish and grows to a maximum length of approximately 70 cm, but is commonly recorded at between 30 and 50 cm in length.[3]

Distribution

Lethrinus microdon is a widespread species. It has been recorded in the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, from East Africa to Sri Lanka, in the Ryukyu Islands as well as Papua New Guinea.[2][3]

Habitat

This fish is non-migratory and is found over sandy bottoms near reefs. It forms small schools, occasionally with Lethrinus olivaceus, and has a maximum depth range of approximately 10 to 80 metres.[3][2]

Diet

Lethrinus microdon feeds in the day and at night, and is known to feed mainly on other fishes, cephalopods, crustaceans, and polychaetes.[3][2]

Human uses

This species is fished commercially and is considered to be an excellent food fish. It is usually marketed fresh and not frozen.[3][2] It is known to be caught using gill nets, trawls, handlines, and fish traps.[3]

References
  1. "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Lethrinus microdon Valenciennes, 1830". Marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
  2. "Lethrinus microdon, Smalltooth emperor : fisheries". Fishbase.org. 2012-07-03. Retrieved 2014-06-01.
  3. ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/t0242e/T0242E10.pdf%5B%5D
  4. Baur/Kruppas. "Lethrinus microdon". Reeflex.net. Retrieved 2014-06-01.
  5. "ADW: Lethrinus microdon: CLASSIFICATION". Animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu. Retrieved 2014-06-01.
  6. "30th May 2014 :: Species details". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 2014-06-01.
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