The false trevally, ''Lactarius lactarius'', is a species of

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...

in the family Lactariidae, currently the sole member of the family.

Distribution

The false trevally is native to the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

and from East Africa to

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

, and in the western

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 contin ...

from Japan to

Queensland, Australia ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. It is a coastal species, occurring in marine and

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estu ...

waters at depths of from . It is an important species to local

commercial fisheries Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often p ...

Description

This fish is colored silvery-grey on the upper parts with blue iridescence dorsally and a dusky black spot on the upper gill cover. The underparts are colored silvery-white. The fins are pale yellow. This species can reach a length of , though most do not exceed .

Gallery

File:FalseTrevally.jpg, False trevallies in Visakhapatnam Landing Center, Andhra Pradesh, India File:FalseTrevally 2.jpg, False trevallies in Visakhapatnam Landing Center, Andhra Pradesh, India Lactarius delicatulus Ford 53.jpg, False trevallies illustration

References

Percoidea Extant Eocene first appearances Fish described in 1801 Monotypic fish genera {{Percoidea-stub