''Albula oligolepis'' is a
species
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of
marine
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fish found in the Indo-West Pacific. It is known commonly as the smallscale bonefish. They grow up to .
Taxonomy
Bonefish were once believed to be a single species with a global distribution, however 9 different species have since been identified. There are three identified species in the Atlantic and six in the Pacific.
''Albula oligolepis'' was formerly identified as ''A. argentea'' (called ''A. forsteri'' or ''A. neoguinacea'' in some sources).
[Randall JE, Bauchot ML (1999) Clarification of the two Indo-Pacific species of bonefishes, Albula glossodonta and A. forsteri. Cybium 23:79–83] However, Hidaka et al. (2008) recognized the Indian and Australian populations are distinct from ''
Albula argentea
''Albula argentea'', the silver sharpjaw bonefish, is a species of marine fish found in the tropical western Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocea ...
'', naming them ''A. oligolepis''.
[Hidaka, K., Y. Iwatsuki and J.E. Randall, 2008. A review of the Indo-Pacific bonefishes of the Albula argentea complex, with a description of a new species. Ichthyol. Res. 55:53-64.]
Description
''Albula oligolepis'' is similar to ''A. argentea'' and ''A. virgata'' in length of the upper jaw, but differs in having fewer vertebrae and pored lateral-line scales, as well as having the tip of pelvic fin not reaching beyond anterior edge of anus.
[
]
Distribution
''Albula oligolepis'' is widespread in the Indian Ocean and the coast of Australia.[
]
References
Albuliformes
Fish of the Indian Ocean
Taxa named by John Ernest Randall
Fish described in 2008
{{albuliformes-stub