''Pentapodus vitta '', the Western whiptail, Western butterfish, black stripe butterfish, striped whiptail or Western threadfin bream , 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 ...

belonging to 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 ...

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 ...

, the threadfin breams. This fish is found in the Eastern Indian Ocean.

Taxonomy

''Pentapodus vitta'' was first formally described in 1824 by

Jean René Constant Quoy Jean René Constant Quoy (10 November 1790 in Maillé, Vendée, Maillé – 4 July 1869 in Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, Rochefort) was a French naval surgeon, zoologist and anatomist. In 1806, he began his medical studies at the school of naval ...

and

Joseph Paul Gaimard Joseph Paul Gaimard (31 January 1793 – 10 December 1858) was a French naval surgeon and naturalist. Biography Gaimard was born at Saint-Zacharie on January 31, 1793. He studied medicine at the naval medical school in Toulon, subsequent ...

with its type locality given as

Shark Bay Shark Bay (Malgana: ''Gathaagudu'', "two waters") is a World Heritage Site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. The http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/world/shark-bay area is located approximately north of Perth, on the ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. In describing this species Quoy and Gaimard proposed a new

monospecific genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

, ''

Pentapodus ''Pentapodus'' is a genus of threadfin breams native to the eastern Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. Species The currently recognized species in this genus are: * '' Pentapodus aureofasciatus'' B. C. Russell, 2001 (yellowstripe thre ...

'', so this species is the type species of ''Pentapodus'' by monotypy. The 5th edition of ''

Fishes of the World ''Fishes of the World'' by the American ichthyologist Joseph S. Nelson (1937–2011) is a standard reference for fish systematics. Now in its fifth edition (2016), the work is a comprehensive overview of the diversity and classification of the ...

'' classifies the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

'' within the family Nemipteridae which it places in the

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 ...

Spariformes.

Etymology

''Pentapodus vitta'' has the

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''vitta'' which means "stripe" or"band", an allusion to the brown lateral stripe.

Description

''Pentapodus vitta'' has its

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through conv ...

supported by 10 spines and 9 soft rays while the

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

is supported by 3 spines and 7 soft rays. The scales on the head extend forward to a level immediately in front of or level with the rear nostrils. The scales between the nostrils are interrupted by a wedge shaped scaleless area. The suborbital is not scaled and neither is the lower limb of the

preoperculum This glossary of ichthyology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts used in ichthyology, the study of fishes. A B C ...

. The

pelvic fin Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral surface of fish. The paired pelvic fins are homologous to the hindlimbs of tetrapods. Structure and function Structure In actinopterygians, the pelvic fin consists of two en ...

s are moderately long extending to or nearly to the level of the anus. The

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

lobes are subequal in length and are pointed. The base colour of the body is silvery-white with a slender dark brown stripe, with turquoise margins, runs from over the eyes to the caudal peduncle; a second dark brown stripe runs from the tip of snout, through the eye and along the upper body, ending at the caudal peduncle; this stripe is wider as it approaches the tail and also has turquoise margins. The fins are transparent and the dorsal and anal fins have a thin, pale turquoise stripe just below their margins. This species has a maximum published

total 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 ...

of although

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 ...

is more typical.

Distribution and habitat

''Pentapodus vitta'' is found in the eastern Indian Ocean off the coast of

where it ranges from the Dampier Archipelago to King George Sound. This is a benthopelagic species found over areas of sandy substrates next to rocky and coral reef areas, limestone outcrops, and seagrass beds. It has also been recorded in high numbers in recently dredged areas. Adults are typically found over sandy substrate near reefs while the juveniles are most frequent in shallow-water, seagrass beds In the winter they are found in shallower water nearest to the shore.

Biology

''Pentapodus vitta'' is a generalist predator, preying on benthic invertebrates and smaller fishes. The spawning season runs from October and February, peaking in November. This species has separate sexes and each individual will take part in spawning multiple times in the season. The maximum age known is 9 years.

Fisheries

''Pentapodus vitta'' is commonly taken as bycatch in fish and pawn trawl fisheries and it is targeted by recreational fishers, however, they earliest age most are caught is 3 years old so overfishing is unlikely as this is after the first age of sexual maturity.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2188845 vitta Fish described in 1824 Taxa named by Jean René Constant Quoy Taxa named by Joseph Paul Gaimard