Deep Pugnose Ponyfish

Description: Body silvery, dorsal with 10 narrow dark or faint vertical bars down to midlateral. Head naked, with nuchal spine; mouth protrusible pointing upward; tip of maxilla reaching to about level of lower margin of eye. Body very deep and compressed, depth max 1.4-1.7 in SL; breast fully scaled. Lateral line ending about middle of soft dorsal fin. (Ref. 2108, 90102)

Amphidromous. Refers to fishes that regularly migrate between freshwater and the sea (in both directions), but not for the purpose of breeding, as in anadromous and catadromous species. Sub-division of diadromous. Migrations should be cyclical and predictable and cover more than 100 km.Characteristic elements in amphidromy are: reproduction in fresh water, passage to sea by newly hatched larvae, a period of feeding and growing at sea usually a few months long, return to fresh water of well-grown juveniles, a further period of feeding and growing in fresh water, followed by reproduction there (Ref. 82692).

Dorsal spines (total): 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 16 - 17; Analspines: 3; Analsoft rays: 14

Between February and May, adults are less abundant in estuary. Feeds on invertebrates (Ref. 4959). Also Ref. 58652.

Found in coastal waters. Enters estuaries and rivers (Ref. 30573). Usually over sand or mud bottoms and rarely near reefs (Ref. 90102). Forms schools. Feeds on small crustaceans (Ref. 5213). Marketed fresh or dried and salted (Ref. 12693).

fisheries: minor commercial; price category: medium; price reliability: very questionable: based on ex-vessel price for species in this family

分布於印度-西太平洋區，西起非洲東岸、紅海，東至台灣、南中國海，南迄澳洲。台灣以西部、南部之砂泥底質水域、河口區及澎湖沿海為主。

一般漁法以底拖網、待袋網、小型圍網或流刺網捕獲。肉質細嫩，適合煮湯，但魚體較小，所以大多當延繩釣之魚餌或以下雜魚般餵食高經濟價值之養殖魚類。

體卵圓形而側扁，腹部之輪廓較背部為凸；體長為體高的1.71-1.99倍。眼上緣具二鼻後棘。口極小，可向前上方伸出；上下頜僅一列細小齒；下頜輪廓幾垂直；吻尖突。眶間隔深凹入。頭部不具鱗，除了頰部具鱗；體完全被圓鱗；腹鰭具腋鱗，背鰭及臀鰭具鞘鱗；側線明顯，但僅延伸至背鰭軟條部中部之下方。體背灰色，體側銀白色。體背約具10條連續的暗色垂直橫帶。吻緣灰白。自眼前端至頦部具一黑紋。胸鰭基部下側具黑色。背鰭第二至第五硬棘上部具黑色緣；其餘各鰭色淡；尾鰭色淡到淡黃色。

主要棲息於砂泥底質的沿海地區，亦可生活於河口區，甚至河川下游。群游性，一般皆在底層活動，活動深度較淺。肉食性，以小型甲殼類為食。