''Terapon theraps'', the largescaled terapon, banded grunter, banded trumpeter, flagtail grunter, flagtail trumpeter, large-scaled grunter-perch, Northern grunter and spiky trumpeter, 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 ...

, a

grunter Grunters or tigerperches are ray-finned fishes in the family Terapontidae (also spelled Teraponidae, Theraponidae or Therapontidae). This family is part of the superfamily Percoidea of the order Perciformes. Characteristics The Terapontidae i ...

from 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 ...

Terapontidae Grunters or tigerperches are ray-finned fishes in the Family (biology), family Terapontidae (also spelled Teraponidae, Theraponidae or Therapontidae). This family is part of the Superfamily (taxonomy), superfamily Percoidea of the Order (biology ...

. This species has a wide distribution in the

Indo-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 ...

region.

Description

''Terapon theraps'' is a medium sized species of grunter which has an oblong body which shows moderate lateral compression. The jaws are of equal length and the mouth is slightly oblique, gape slightly oblique. In juveniles the

maxilla The maxilla (plural: ''maxillae'' ) in vertebrates is the upper fixed (not fixed in Neopterygii) bone of the jaw formed from the fusion of two maxillary bones. In humans, the upper jaw includes the hard palate in the front of the mouth. The t ...

is set level with the front of the eyes, it doesn't reach the eye in adults. The teeth are conical in shape and are arranged in villiform bands with the outermost row greatly enlarged. There are no teeth on the roof of the mouth. 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 ...

has 11 o 12 spines and 9 to 11 soft rays, the spiny part is notably arched and has a deep notch. The third to the sixth dorsal fin spines are the longest and the notch is created by the second last spine being around half the length of the last spine. 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 three spines and 7-9 soft rays, the longest spine being the third and this is longer than the longest ray, 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 ...

has a shallow fork and rounded lobes. The

lateral line The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelial ...

contains 46-56 pored scales. This species is mainly dusky-green in colour with has a green iridescence which fades to silver-white on the belly. There are four broad dark, horizontal stripes along the flanks, a big black spot on the dorsal fin and dusky stripes on the tail. The juveniles are brown in colour and their stripes are darker and have white spots which run in lines in the paler areas between the dark stripes and they have a striped tail. 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 .

Distribution

''Terapon theraps'' is a widespread species in the Indo-Pacific region being found from the southern

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...

and along the eastern coast of Africa as far south as Madagascar and eastwards along the southern Asian coasts, including the Seychelles, and into the Pacific Ocean where it reaches as far north as southern Japan and south to Australia and east to

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

. It has been recorded twice in the Mediterranean Sea in 2007 and 2008.Atlas of Exotic Fishes in the Mediterranean Sea (Terapon theraps). 2nd Edition. 2021. 366p. CIESM Publishers, Paris, Monaco.https://ciesm.org/atlas/fishes_2nd_edition/Terapon_theraps.pdf, likely transported via ballast water.

Habitat and biology

''Terapon theraps'' is a species of inshore waters in the tropics of the Indo-Pacific and it is common in brackish waters and among mangroves. The juveniles frequently hide below floating algae and flotsam, particularly mats of ''

Sargassum ''Sargassum'' is a genus of brown (class Phaeophyceae) macroalgae (seaweed) in the order Fucales. Numerous species are distributed throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world, where they generally inhabit shallow water and coral re ...

'', and this can lead to wide dispersal. It is an

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nutri ...

species. After

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 ...

the male parent guards and fans the eggs.

Fisheries

''Terapon theraps'' is targeted by inshore fisheries using a wide variety of gear such as traps, handlines, and bottom trawls. It is normally marketed fresh but is sometimes preserved by drying or salting.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1047685 Fish of Thailand Fish of Australia Fish described in 1829 Taxa named by Georges Cuvier

theraps ''Theraps'' is a genus of cichlid fish found in moderately to fast-flowing rivers and streams on the Atlantic slope of southern Mexico and northern Central America. They are medium-sized cichlids. Species and taxonomy Historically, ''Theraps'' w ...