''Brama dussumieri'', the lesser bream or lowfin pomfret, is a species of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or hor ...

, a

pomfret Pomfrets are perciform fishes belonging to the family Bramidae. The family currently includes 20 species across seven genera. Several species are important food sources for humans, especially ''Brama brama'' in South Asia. The earlier form of t ...

of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Bramidae Pomfrets are perciform fishes belonging to the family Bramidae. The family currently includes 20 species across seven genera. Several species are important food sources for humans, especially ''Brama brama'' in South Asia. The earlier form of t ...

. It is found in warm seas around the world. The specific name honours the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

explorer and trader

Jean-Jacques Dussumier Jean-Jacques Dussumier (1792–1883) was a French voyager and merchant from Bordeaux. He is known as a collector of zoological species from southern Asia and regions around the Indian Ocean between 1816 and 1840. These collections were later studied ...

(1792-1883).

Description

''Brama dussumieri'' can be distinguished from congeners through the following characteristics: *Possessing pectoral fins that are placed low on the body in both juvenile 'and’ adult stages (overlap with ''

Brama caribbea Brama caribbea, the Caribbean pomfret, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a pomfret of the family Bramidae. It is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean. Description ''Brama caribbea'' can be distinguished from congeners through the following ...

'', '' Brama myseri'', and ''

Brama orcini ''Brama orcini'' is a species of Perciformes in the family Bramidae Pomfrets are perciform fishes belonging to the family Bramidae. The family currently includes 20 species across seven genera. Several species are important food sources for h ...

''). *Having relatively long ventral fins *Having a total number of vertebrae equaling 40 or more (overlaps with ''

Brama myersi ''Brama myersi'' is a species of Perciformes in the family Bramidae Pomfrets are perciform fishes belonging to the family Bramidae. The family currently includes 20 species across seven genera. Several species are important food sources for h ...

'') *Possessing a total number of anal fin rays equaling 28 or fewer

Ecology

''Brama dussumieri'' like many bramids serves as an important

forage fish Forage fish, also called prey fish or bait fish, are small pelagic fish which are preyed on by larger predators for food. Predators include other larger fish, seabirds and marine mammals. Typical ocean forage fish feed near the base of the food ...

for large,

pelagic The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean, and can be further divided into regions by depth (as illustrated on the right). The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or wa ...

, predatory fishes. ''B. dussumieri'' have been successfully collected from the stomachs of bigeye and

yellowfin tuna The yellowfin tuna (''Thunnus albacares'') is a species of tuna found in pelagic waters of tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide. Yellowfin is often marketed as ahi, from the Hawaiian language, Hawaiian , a name also used there for the closel ...

and

striped marlin The striped marlin (''Kajikia audax'') is a species of marlin found in tropical to temperate Indo-Pacific oceans not far from the surface. It is a desirable commercial and game fish. The striped marlin is a predator that hunts during the day in t ...

, suggesting that they serve a similar role for fast swimming, open ocean predators.

Distribution

''Brama dussumieri'' can be found throughout the high seas of all tropical oceans (e.g.

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

) and associated seas, such as the Yellow and

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it h ...

off the coast of

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

Reproduction

''Brama dussumieri'' specimens have been collected at various life stages, including larval and juvenile, globally, suggesting that there is no specific localized spawning area. Juveniles have been collected throughout the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

, eastern

Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Current, North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida a ...

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...

, and the

at various times through the year. In some locations (i.e., the

), young can be collected nearly every month of the year. Females are thought to reach sexual maturity by 170mm

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish m ...

. Egg diameter ranges from 0.3mm - 1.6mm, depending on the

gonadosomatic index In biology, the gonadosomatic index (GSI) is the calculation of the gonad mass as a proportion of the total body mass. It is represented by the formula: GSI = onad weight / total tissue weight× 100 It is a tool for measuring the sexual maturity ...

(GSI), with larger eggs being present in females with a high GSI.

Genome

''Brama dussumieri'' had its complete

mitochondrial genome Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA or mDNA) is the DNA located in mitochondria, cellular organelles within eukaryotic cells that convert chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial D ...

sequenced in 2018 and found to be a characteristic the typical ''Brama''

. The genome contains 26.21%

adenine Adenine () ( symbol A or Ade) is a nucleobase (a purine derivative). It is one of the four nucleobases in the nucleic acid of DNA that are represented by the letters G–C–A–T. The three others are guanine, cytosine and thymine. Its derivati ...

, 25.65%

thymine Thymine () ( symbol T or Thy) is one of the four nucleobases in the nucleic acid of DNA that are represented by the letters G–C–A–T. The others are adenine, guanine, and cytosine. Thymine is also known as 5-methyluracil, a pyrimidine nu ...

, 16.83%

guanine Guanine () ( symbol G or Gua) is one of the four main nucleobases found in the nucleic acids DNA and RNA, the others being adenine, cytosine, and thymine (uracil in RNA). In DNA, guanine is paired with cytosine. The guanine nucleoside is called ...

, and 31.31%

cytosine Cytosine () ( symbol C or Cyt) is one of the four nucleobases found in DNA and RNA, along with adenine, guanine, and thymine (uracil in RNA). It is a pyrimidine derivative, with a heterocyclic aromatic ring and two substituents attached (an am ...

, appearing nearly identical to that of ''

Brama japonica ''Brama japonica'', the Pacific pomfret, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a pomfret of the family Bramidae. ''B. japonica'' is closely related, and quite similar, to '' Brama brama'', but can be distinguished by possessing a greater number ...

'', a congener.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2097081 dussumieri Taxa named by Georges Cuvier Fish described in 1831