The Chinamanfish (''Symphorus nematophorus''), Chinaman snapper, galloper or thread-finned sea perch, is species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is found in the Western Pacific Ocean.

Taxonomy

The Chinamanfish was first formally described in 1860 by the Dutch

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 Pieter Bleeker (10 July 1819 – 24 January 1878) was a Dutch medical doctor, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He was famous for the ''Atlas Ichthyologique des Indes Orientales Néêrlandaises'', his monumental work on the fishes of East Asia ...

as ''Mesoprion nematophorus'' with the type locality given as Badjoa on Sulawesi. the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

-born British

Albert Günther Albert Karl Ludwig Gotthilf Günther FRS, also Albert Charles Lewis Gotthilf Günther (3 October 1830 – 1 February 1914), was a German-born British zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. Günther is ranked the second-most productive re ...

''Symphorus'' in 1872. The genus ''Symphorus'' is one of two genera in the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Paradicichthyinae Paradicichthyinae is a subfamily of marine ray-finned fishes, one of four subfamilies classified within the family Lutjanidae, the snappers. Taxonomy Paradicichthyinae was created as a subfamily of the Lutjanidae in 1930 by the Australian ichthy ...

of the snapper family Lutjanidae. The genus name ''Symphorus'' was not explained by Günther but it may be a compound of ''sym'', meaning “together with” and ''phorus'' meaning “bearer”, a possible a reference to its undivided

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 ...

. 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 ...

''nematophorus'' is also a compound, this time having “nemato” meaning “thread” prefixing ''phorus'', a reference to the projection of at least one the anterior rays of the dorsal fins in to filaments in the younger specimens.

Description

The Chinamanfish has a body which is deep and laterally compressed, with a steep dorsal profile of the head. There is a deep slit between the eyes and the nostrils. The mouth extends as far back as the centre of the eye. There is no incision or protuberance on the preoperculum. The jaws have thin bands of teeth with the outer band having enlarged teeth, these are canione-like at the front of the upper jaw. There is no patch of vomerine teeth and there is a patch of granular teeth on the tongue. The dorsal fin has 10 spine and 15-16 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 ...

contains 3 spines and 9 soft rays. At least one of the anterior dorsal fin rays is projected into a long filamentous thread in juveniles and sub-adults. 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 ...

s are long, extending as far as the level of the anus and contain 16 fin rays. 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 ...

emarginate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

. This species attains a maximum

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 of is more typical. and a maximum published weight of. The overall colour of this snapper is greyish-brown to reddish frequently broken by thick irregular light and dark vertical bars on the flanks. The juveniles are light orange to brownish, with irregular bluish lines and spots on the head and flanks, and more numerous long filamentous dorsal-fin rays than the adults.

Distribution and habitat

The Chinamanfish is a widely distributed species in the West Pacific Ocean from the

Andaman Sea The Andaman Sea (historically also known as the Burma Sea) is a marginal sea of the northeastern Indian Ocean bounded by the coastlines of Myanmar and Thailand along the Gulf of Martaban and west side of the Malay Peninsula, and separated from ...

and western Thailand east to Fiji and Tonga and from northern Australia and

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north to the

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonaguni ...

. It is found at depths of less than . It is found on coastal reefs.

Biology

The Chinamanfish is typically encountered as solitary fishes but a breeding aggregation has been recorded off Palau. It is mainly piscivorous. The maximum longevity of this species is 36 years.

Fisheries

The Chinamanfish is taken mostly with handlines and also by spearfishing. It's flesh is considered to be excellent eating, however in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and Vanuatu it is considered dangerous, and Australia bans its sale, due to the risk of ciguatera.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15709184 Chinamanfish Fish described in 1860