''Leiopotherapon plumbeus'', known commonly as the silver perch,
[Froese, R. and D. Pauly, Eds]
Common names of ''Leiopotherapon plumbeus''.
FishBase. 2013. 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 li ...
in the family
Terapontidae
Grunters or tigerperches are ray-finned fishes in the Family (biology), family Terapontidae (also spelled Teraponidae, Theraponidae or Therapontidae). This family is part of the Superfamily (taxonomy), superfamily Percoidea of the Order (biology ...
, the grunters. It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, where it is called ''ayungin'', ''bugaong'', ''bigaong'', and ''bagaong''.
[
]
Description
This species reaches 16 centimeters in maximum length.[Froese, R. and D. Pauly, Eds]
''Leiopotherapon plumbeus''.
FishBase. 2013.
Behavior
The species exhibits paternal care, as the male guards and tends the eggs.[
]
Uses
The fish is caught and consumed locally as food. It is considered to be one of the most delicious of the native freshwater fish in the Philippines. The supply has run thin due to overharvesting, and it is now rare in markets, making it quite expensive.
innovations-report.com April 29, 2009.
The fish is also used to feed duck
Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...
s.[
]
Conservation
Populations have declined due to overfishing
Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish (i.e. fishing) from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally (i.e. the overexploitation of the fishery's existing fish stock), resulting in th ...
.[ In 1991 it was the most abundant fish in ]Laguna de Bay
Laguna de Bay (Spanish language, Spanish for "Lagoon/Lake of Bay, Laguna, Bay"; tl, Lawa ng Bay, ), also known as Laguna Lake, is the List of lakes of the Philippines, largest lake in the Philippines. It is located southeast of Metro Manila, b ...
, the largest lake in the Philippines; by 2002 it was the third most abundant. Sedimentation
Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to the ...
and pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...
contribute to the population drop in the lake.[Santos, B. S. et al. (2010)]
Geometric morphometric analysis and gill raker count variation of populations of the endemic Philippine silver perch, ''Leiopotherapon plumbeus'' (Perciformes: Terapontidae).
''The Philippine Agricultural Scientist'' 93(4)
The fish is being reared in captive breeding
Captive breeding, also known as captive propagation, is the process of plants or animals in controlled environments, such as wildlife reserves, zoos, botanic gardens, and other conservation facilities. It is sometimes employed to help species that ...
projects, in which it grows well on a diet of prawn
Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton and ten legs (which is a member of the order decapoda), some of which can be eaten.
The term "prawn"Mortenson, Philip B (2010''This is not a weasel: a close look at nature ...
food and tubifex worms
''Tubifex'' is a cosmopolitan genus of tubificid annelids that inhabits the sediments of lakes, rivers and occasionally sewer lines. At least 13 species of ''Tubifex'' have been identified, with the exact number not certain, as the species ...
.[ It is dosed with ]hormone
A hormone (from the Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs by complex biological processes to regulate physiology and behavior. Hormones are required ...
s to induce spawning
Spawn is the eggs and sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, ''to spawn'' refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, and the act of both sexes is called spawning. Most aquatic animals, except for aquati ...
.[Agron, E. B]
BAR highlights promising UPLB technology to save endangered fish species.
''BAR Chronicle'' 10(8). August, 2009. Bureau of Agricultural Research.
Gallery
File:Ayungin Buhi.JPG, ''Ayungin'' found in Lake Buhi, Camarines Sur.
File:Leiopotherapon plumbeus.jpg, This species, known locally as 'ayungin', is a common food fish in the country.
References
Further reading
* Quilang, J. P., et al. (2007)
Meristic and morphometric variation in the silver perch, ''Leiopotherapon plumbeus'' (Kner, 1864), from three lakes in the Philippines.
''Journal of Applied Ichthyology'' 23(5), 561–67.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5090332
Terapontidae
Philippine cuisine
Endemic fauna of the Philippines
Freshwater fish of the Philippines
Fish described in 1864
Taxa named by Rudolf Kner