''Brama australis'' , the Southern Ray's bream or Pacific pomfret, 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 ...

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 ...

Bramidae Pomfrets are perciform fishes belonging to the family Bramidae. The family currently includes 20 species across seven genera. Several species are important food sources for humans, especially ''Brama brama'' in South Asia. The earlier form of t ...

, the pomfrets. It is found in the southern Oceans. Brama_australis_from_Cuvier-44-Castagnole-Pemph%C3%A9ride-Archers

Description

''Brama australis'' has the typical laterally compressed body of a pomfret with a single

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 has no spines but contains stiffened fin rays. The anal fin also has no spines and contains fewer than 29 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 ...

is similar to the dorsal fin but lacks the high anterior lobe of the dorsal fin. It grows to a maximum

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 ...

of .

Distribution

''Brama australis'' is found throughout the subtropical to sub-antarctic waters of the whole Southern Pacific Ocean from New Zealand to Chile. It may have a circumpolar distribution in the Southern Hemisphere below 20° South. It is a highly migratory species.

Habitat and biology

''Brama australis'' is a

pelagic The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean, and can be further divided into regions by depth (as illustrated on the right). The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or wa ...

species which lives at depths of . It is a carnivorous species which feeds on the krill '' Euphasia mucronata'' in the southern summer off Chile, other crustaceans such as '' Pterygosquilla armata'' and hyperid amphipods are also important parts of its diet. It has also been reported to feed on crabs, squids and small fishes. It is a highly migratory species. It is a relatively fast growing species which can attain its full length in 8-9 years. The Southern Ray's bream has been found to be host to 12 species of metazoan parasites, the most common were the

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) ...

'' Hatschekia conifera'' with the larvae of the

cestode Cestoda is a class of parasitic worms in the flatworm phylum (Platyhelminthes). Most of the species—and the best-known—are those in the subclass Eucestoda; they are ribbon-like worms as adults, known as tapeworms. Their bodies consist of man ...

'' Hepatoxylon trichiuri'' being the next most important.

Utilisation

''Brama australis'' is mainly caught using long lines and gill nets by artisanal fisheries off Chile. The species is heavily exploited and may be on the verges of being overfished. Rarely caught elsewhere, usually as

bycatch Bycatch (or by-catch), in the fishing industry, is a fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while fishing for specific species or sizes of wildlife. Bycatch is either the wrong species, the wrong sex, or is undersized or juve ...

tuna A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae (mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max length: ...

fisheries. Reineta a la matequilla

References

External links

Catalogue of Life
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2659925 australis Chilean cuisine Chilean culture Fish described in 1838