''Albula virgata'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

fish found in the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

. It is known commonly as the longjaw 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 virgata'' was first described by the American ichthyologist

David Starr Jordan David Starr Jordan (January 19, 1851 – September 19, 1931) was the founding president of Stanford University, serving from 1891 to 1913. He was an ichthyologist during his research career. Prior to serving as president of Stanford Univer ...

and his son Edward Knight Jordan in 1922. It has a somewhat convoluted nomenclatural history. It was originally named ''Esox argenteus'', but that name was already in use for the

giant kokopu In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: ''gigas'', cognate giga-) are beings of human-like appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''giant'' is first attested in 1297 fro ...

, and it was later renamed ''Albula forsteri''. However, Forster's taxon is in a genus different than the giant kokopu, and thus Forster's name still stands.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. For decades, ''Albula virgata'' was considered a synonym of either ''

Albula vulpes The bonefish (''Albula vulpes'') is the type species of the bonefish family (Albulidae), the only family in order Albuliformes. History Bonefish were once believed to be a single species with a global distribution, however 9 different species ...

'' or '' Albula neoguinaica''.Randall JE, Bauchot ML (1999) Clarification of the two Indo-Pacific species of bonefishes, Albula glossodonta and A. forsteri. Cybium 23:79–83 It was eventually recognized as a species 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 ...

''.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 virgata'' is similar to ''A. argentea'' and ''A. oligolepis'' in length of the upper jaw, but differs in having fewer vertebrae and lateral-line scales, as well as having the tip of pelvic fin reaching beyond anterior edge of anus.

Distribution

''Albula virgata'' is known only from the

. They are thought to be restricted to shallow sand flats, which are a rare and fragmented habitat type in the Hawaiian Islands.

References

Albuliformes Endemic fauna of Hawaii Fish of Hawaii Taxa named by David Starr Jordan Fish described in 1922 {{Albuliformes-stub