''Brama japonica'', the Pacific 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 ...

. ''B. japonica'' is closely related, and quite similar, to '' Brama brama'', but can be distinguished by possessing a greater number of anal fin rays and a higher number of gill rakers.

Distribution and habitat

The

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular wiktionary:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to a ...

for this species was from Japan and this is why it is named "japonica", though its range extends much further than Japan. ''Brama japonica'' is widely distributed throughout the

Pacific Ocean 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 ...

, from the

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 ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, notably in the Northern Pacific. Its also been reported in Taiwan and the Philippines. Like many bramids, this species can be found throughout the high seas and is highly migratory, but oceanodromous. Though rarely caught inshore, it is a good food fish. Pacific pomfrets are found at depths from 271 to 620 meters.

Anatomy and appearance

Size

Averaging 30-42 cm in length, there have also been specimens reaching as great as 61cm. Although the maximum published weight for the species in 2.7kg (5.95lbs), the state record catch for a Pacific pomfret in Washington State is only 0.68 lbs. (0.3kg)

Diet

Diet of adult ''B. japonica'' has been found to primarily consist of

cephalopods A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda (Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, an ...

and fish (primarily those in the genus ''

Bathylagus ''Bathylagus'' is a genus of deep-sea smelts, some species of which are noted for having stylophthalmine larvae. Species The seven recognized, extant species in this genus are: * '' Bathylagus andriashevi'' Kobyliansky, 1986 * '' Bathylagus a ...

''), and secondarily

amphipods Amphipoda is an order of malacostracan crustaceans with no carapace and generally with laterally compressed bodies. Amphipods range in size from and are mostly detritivores or scavengers. There are more than 9,900 amphipod species so far descri ...

References

External links

* {{FishBase species , genus = Brama , species = japonica , month = January , year = 2006 japonica Fish described in 1878 Taxa named by Franz Martin Hilgendorf