''Pterocaesio'' is a

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 ...

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 ...

, fuiliers 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 ...

Caesionidae Caesionidae, the fusiliers, are a family of marine ray-finned fishes in the order Perciformes. The family includes about 23 species. They are related to the snappers, but adapted for feeding on plankton, rather than on larger prey. They are fo ...

. They are 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 th ...

and 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 ...

Taxonomy

''Pterocaesio'' was described as a genus in 1876 by the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

ichthyologist Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish ( Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of Octobe ...

Pieter Bleeker with

Franz Steindachner Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian Zoology, zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachne ...

's ''Caesio multiradiatus'' as the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

. This taxon was subsequently shown to be a synonym of ''Caesio tile'' which had been described by Georges Cuvier in 1830. The generic name is a compound of ''ptero'' meaning "fin" and the genus name ''

Caesio ''Caesio'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, fusiliers belonging to the family Caesionidae. They are native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean, although one species has invaded the eastern Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Ca ...

''. Bleeker did not give an explanation of his name but it may be because the type species ''P. tile'' has a higher number of rays in the

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 ...

. 21, compared to 13-18 in ''Caesio''. Three

subgenera In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...

have been proposed for ''Pteroceasio''.

Species

Currently, 12 species in this genus are recognized, and have been divided into subgenera by some authorities as follows: * Subgenus ''Pterocaesio'' ** ''

Pterocaesio tile The dark-banded fusilier (''Pterocaesio tile''), also known as blue-streak fusilier, bluedash fusilier, or neon fusilier, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a fusilier belonging to the family Caesionidae. It has a wide Indo-West Pacific ran ...

'' (Cuvier, 1830) (dark-banded fusilier) * Subgenus ''Pisinnicaesio'' Carpenter 1987 ** ''

Pterocaesio chrysozona The gold-band fusilier (''Pterocaesio chrysozona'') also known as the yellow-band fusilier or black-tipped fusilier, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a fusilier belonging to the family Caesionidae. It is widespread around reefs in the Ind ...

'' (Cuvier], 1830) (goldband fusilier) ** ''

Pterocaesio digramma The double-lined fusilier (''Pterocaesio digramma''), also known as the double stripe fusilier or blacktipped fusilier, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a fusilier belonging to the family Caesionidae. It is widespread around reefs in the ...

'' (Bleeker, 1864) (double-lined fusilier) ** ''

Pterocaesio pisang ''Pterocaesio pisang'', the banana fusilier or ruddy fusilier, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a fusilier belonging to the family Caesionidae. It is widespread around reefs in the Indo-West Pacific region. Taxonomy ''Pterocaesio pisang' ...

'' (Bleeker, 1853) (banana fusilier) Subgenus ''Squamosicaesio'' Carpenter 1987 ** ''

Pterocaesio capricornis ''Pterocaesio'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, fuiliers belonging to the family Caesionidae. They are native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Pterocaesio'' was described as a genus in 1876 by the Dutch ichthyo ...

'' J. L. B. Smith & M. M. Smith, 1963 (capricorn fusilier) ** ''

Pterocaesio flavifasciata ''Pterocaesio'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, fuiliers belonging to the family Caesionidae. They are native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Pterocaesio'' was described as a genus in 1876 by the Dutch ichthyo ...

'' G. R. Allen &

Erdmann Erdmann is a first name and surname, and may refer to: Surname *Carl Erdmann (1898—1945), German historian *Eduard Erdmann (1896—1958), Baltic German pianist and composer *Hans Otto Erdmann (1896–1944), member of the German resistance *Hugo E ...

, 2006 (yellowstripe fusilier) ** ''

Pterocaesio lativittata ''Pterocaesio'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, fuiliers belonging to the family Caesionidae. They are native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Pterocaesio'' was described as a genus in 1876 by the Dutch ichthyo ...

'' Carpenter, 1987 (wide-band fusilier) ** ''

Pterocaesio marri ''Pterocaesio marri'', Marr's fusilier, bigtail fusilier, blacktip fusilier, bananafish or twinstripe fusilier is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a fusilier belonging to the family Caesionidae. It is widespread around reefs in the Indo-West ...

'' L. P. Schultz, 1953 (Marr's fusilier) ** '' Pterocaesio monikae'' G. R. Allen & Erdmann, 2008 (Cenderawasih fusilier) ** '' Pterocaesio randalli'' Carpenter, 1987 (Randall's fusilier) ** '' Pterocaesio tessellata'' Carpenter, 1987 (one-stripe fusilier) ** ''

Pterocaesio trilineata ''Pterocaesio'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, fuiliers belonging to the family Caesionidae. They are native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Pterocaesio'' was described as a genus in 1876 by the Dutch ichthy ...

'' Carpenter, 1987 (three-stripe fusilier) Banana fusilier (Pterocaesio pisang) (41009886595)

Characteristics

''Pterocaesio'' fusiliers are characterised by having

fusiform Fusiform means having a spindle-like shape that is wide in the middle and tapers at both ends. It is similar to the lemon-shape, but often implies a focal broadening of a structure that continues from one or both ends, such as an aneurysm on a b ...

, elongated bodies which show moderate lateral compression. There are small conical teeth in the jaws and there may, or may not, be similar teeth in the

vomer The vomer (; lat, vomer, lit=ploughshare) is one of the unpaired facial bones of the skull. It is located in the midsagittal line, and articulates with the sphenoid, the ethmoid, the left and right palatine bones, and the left and right maxill ...

and

palatines Palatines (german: Pfälzer), also known as the Palatine Dutch, are the people and princes of Palatinates ( Holy Roman principalities) of the Holy Roman Empire. The Palatine diaspora includes the Pennsylvania Dutch and New York Dutch. In 1709 ...

. The margin of the gill cover forms a flap near its top. The dorsal fin is continuous and has 10 or 11 spines and 14-16 soft rays, in some species this is 10-12 spines and 19-22 soft rays. 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 ...

has 3 spines and 11-13 soft rays and the

pectoral 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 ...

rays number 17-24. The flanks may be unmarked, there may be one or more horizontal stripes or they can show a large blotch over the base of the pectoral fin. 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 ...

can have black tips to the lobes or a dark streak in the middle of each lobe.

Distribution and habitat

''Pterocaesio'' fusiliers are found in coastal waters of the

Indo-West Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

, although they are absent from the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

and the northern

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...

, mainly remaining in the vicinity of coral reefs.

Biology

''Pterocaesio'' fusiliers are schooling fishes, often joining in mixed species schools with congeners and with

slender fusilier The slender fusilier (''Gymnocaesio gymnoptera'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a fusilier belonging to the family Caesionidae. It is native to tropical reefs in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean, It is of minor importance ...

s (''Gymnocaesio gymnoptera''). These school forage in midwater for

zooplankton Zooplankton are the animal component of the planktonic community ("zoo" comes from the Greek word for ''animal''). Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents, and consequently drift or are carried along by ...

. Their strategy for reproduction is characterised by apparently attaining sexual maturity at a young age, high fertility and an extended

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 ...

season. They gather in large aggregations to spawn and the timing of the aggregations is governed by the lunar cycle.

Fisheries

''Pterocaesio'' fusiliers are not very important food fish. Where fisheries land them they are caught using

drive-in net A fishing net is a net used for fishing. Nets are devices made from fibers woven in a grid-like structure. Some fishing nets are also called fish traps, for example fyke nets. Fishing nets are usually meshes formed by knotting a relatively thin ...

gill net Gillnetting is a fishing method that uses gillnets: vertical panels of netting that hang from a line with regularly spaced floaters that hold the line on the surface of the water. The floats are sometimes called "corks" and the line with corks is ...

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

s, by

trawling Trawling is a method of fishing that involves pulling a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats. The net used for trawling is called a trawl. This principle requires netting bags which are towed through water to catch different speci ...

and

handlining Handline fishing, or handlining, is a fishing technique where a single fishing line is held in the hands, rather than with a fishing rod like the usual angling. It is a type of angling, and is not to be confused with handfishing, which is catch ...

. The landed fish are sold fresh and preserved as

salt fish Salted fish, such as kippered herring or dried and salted cod, is fish cured with dry salt and thus preserved for later eating. Drying or salting, either with dry salt or with brine, was the only widely available method of preserving fish unt ...

. Tuna fisheries may catch numbers of both juveniles and adults of some species to use as bait. baitfish for tuna fisheries.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2180827 Caesionidae