The Japanese sea bass (''Lateolabrax japonicus'') is a species of
catadromous
Fish migration is mass relocation by fish from one area or body of water to another. Many types of fish migrate on a regular basis, on time scales ranging from daily to annually or longer, and over distances ranging from a few metres to thousan ...
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 ...
from the Asian sea bass
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 ...
Lateolabracidae
''Lateolabrax'' is a genus of commercially important fishes known as the Asian seabasses. It is the only genus in the family Lateolabracidae. This genus is native to the coastal waters of the western Pacific Ocean. This genus has also been in ...
which is found in the Western Pacific. In Japan this species is known as .
Description
![Lateolabrax japonicas 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Lateolabrax_japonicas_02.jpg)
The Japanese sea bass has a slightly forked tail and a large mouth which has the lower jaw protruding beyond the upper jaw. The young fish have small black spots on the back and
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 ...
which tend to lost in larger fish.
Its body has 12 to 15 spines in the first dorsal followed by 12 to 14 soft rays in its second dorsal. The anal fin has 3 spines and 7 to 9 soft rays.
The maximum recorded
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 ...
is , although the more common
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 and the maximum published weight is .
[
]
Distribution
The Japanese sea bass is found in the Western pacific where it occurs from Japan to the South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...
.
Habitat and biology
The Japanese sea bass occurs on inshore rocky reefs where there is a current. The juveniles have been recorded ascending rivers and then return as adults to sea to spawn. It is a protandrous
Sequential hermaphroditism (called dichogamy in botany) is a type of hermaphroditism that occurs in many fish, gastropods, and plants. Sequential hermaphroditism occurs when the individual changes its sex at some point in its life. In particular, ...
hermaphrodite
In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes.
Many Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrate ...
in which the fish reach sexual maturity as males at around 2 years old and change into females when they are older.[ Japanese seabass larvae commence feeding at day 4 after hatching. The diet of the early larvae is exclusively on smaller zooplankton such as cyclopoids and ]copepod
Copepods (; meaning "oar-feet") are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat (ecology), habitat. Some species are planktonic (inhabiting sea waters), some are benthos, benthic (living on the ocean floor) ...
s with copepods being the dominant component in their diet, making up nearly 70%. Once they have reached the juvenile stage, its diet includes sardines, anchovies, and shrimp, as well as any other small fishes and crustaceous.
Reproduction and development
The spawning of this species occurs in the coastal waters around Japan, specifically in the shelf areas with a depth of <100m during late October to late January. Generally, Japanese sea bass eggs are distributed between bay water and outer water because thermohaline regions are formed. However, once their eggs have developed, they are shifted from the surface layer to the middle layer of water. The water temperature where the eggs are placed in a significant factor for the survival rate since their eggs do not tolerate temperatures below 10 °C. The eggs of this species are pelagic, spherical, colorless, and measure about 1.34mm to 1.44mm in diameter with a single oil globule. The transformation from the larva to the juvenile stage is around 49 to 70 days of age and juvenile stage begins at 60 days of age.
Migration
Juveniles are dispersed and transported kilometers away from the spawning grounds into coastal areas and river estuaries by tidal currents during late winter or early spring. Some of their nursery habitats are located around Japanese seas, such as Tamara River estuary, Tokyo Bay, Tango sea, Ariake Bay, and Lake Shinji. Most of the early juveniles migrate to the upriver turbidity maximum zone (TMZ) which is known as an area of high prey concentration in estuaries. Juveniles that migrate to these areas have a better chance to survive than those who remain in coastal areas. The area of estuaries is smaller and its environmental conditions are more variable, allowing them to have higher growth rate, a lower starvation rate, and less risk of predation.
Taxonomy
''Lateolabrax maculatus'' has been treated as a junior synonym
The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently.
* In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linna ...
of ''L. japonicus'' but more recent authorities have treated it as a valid species with a wide distribution in the Ariake Sea
The is a body of salt water surrounded by Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, and Kumamoto Prefectures, all of which lie on the island of Kyūshū in Japan. It is the largest bay in Kyūshū. Its deepest point is only about 50 meters (165 ft) deep, and ...
and off Nagasaki in Japan; off the Chinese coast, Taiwan, and Korea, normally off the southern and western coasts.[
]
Usage
This species is important commercially
Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, nation ...
, popular as a game fish
Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish pursued by recreational anglers, and can be freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, or released after capture. Some game fish are also targeted commerciall ...
, and farmed
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...
.[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1151311
Japanese seabass
The Japanese sea bass (''Lateolabrax japonicus'') is a species of catadromous marine ray-finned fish from the Asian sea bass family Lateolabracidae which is found in the Western Pacific. In Japan this species is known as .
Description
The Japa ...
Fish of Japan
Marine fauna of East Asia
Japanese seabass
The Japanese sea bass (''Lateolabrax japonicus'') is a species of catadromous marine ray-finned fish from the Asian sea bass family Lateolabracidae which is found in the Western Pacific. In Japan this species is known as .
Description
The Japa ...
Japanese seabass
The Japanese sea bass (''Lateolabrax japonicus'') is a species of catadromous marine ray-finned fish from the Asian sea bass family Lateolabracidae which is found in the Western Pacific. In Japan this species is known as .
Description
The Japa ...