The Japanese whiptail or Japanese butterfish (''Pentapodus nagasakiensis'') 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 ...

of marine

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 coral bream

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 ...

(

Nemipteridae Nemipteridae are a family of fishes within the order Perciformes. They are known as threadfin breams, whiptail breams and false snappers. They are found in tropical waters of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. Most species are benthic carni ...

) of

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

Perciformes Perciformes (), also called the Percomorpha or Acanthopteri, is an order or superorder of ray-finned fish. If considered a single order, they are the most numerous order of vertebrates, containing about 41% of all bony fish. Perciformes means ...

. It is native to 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 continen ...

Distribution

It is found in the western Pacific from southern

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, the South China Sea, and Indonesia (Lombok) to northern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The fish have been reported from Lizard Island and Lihou Reef in the

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

Description

The maximum recorded size of this species is 20 cm. Its color is tan or yellow grading to white on the belly, often with a pair of yellowish stripes separated by a white band centrally on the sides. Its pelvic fins are moderately long, reaching to or almost to the level of the anus. Lobes of its caudal fin are pointed, and more or less equal in length.

Habitat

Generally seen below 15 m deep in deeper offshore waters, it occasionally ventures into shallow estuaries and harbors. Usually, it is found solitary or in small groups. It feeds on small shrimp.

Conservation status

Not evaluated Other noteworthy information (life-cycle, breeding, etc.)

Etymology

The generic name ''Pentapodus'' is from the Greek, ''pente'' = five and ''pous'' = feet. The specific name ''nagasakiensis'' means of

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...

References

External links

Fishes of Australia : ''Pentapodus nagasakiensis''
Japanese whiptail Fish of Japan Marine fauna of East Asia Marine fish of Northern Australia Japanese whiptail {{Perciformes-stub