Black Tipped Ponyfish

This species of the Leiognathus splendens complex is distinguished by the following characters: no scales on cheek; anterior dorsolateral body surface almost completely scaled without a semicircular naked area on nape; lower margin of inner preopercular ridge is smooth or weakly serrated (including the neotype); interspace of pelvic keels without scales; second spines of dorsal and anal fins are robust (width of second spines of dorsal and anal fins 0.87-1.6% of SL and 0.76-1.7% of SL, respectively); a jet black blotch on spinous dorsal fin (Ref. 75583).Description: Belly silvery; back greyish silvery with faint, grey wavy vertical lines above lateral lines in adults; lateral line scales and pectoral fin base yellow; pectoral axil black. Scales small and deciduous. Nuchal spine with a distinct median keel. Chest fully scaled. Mouth horizontal, pointing slightly downward when protracted; line of closed mouth passing below eye; a narrow brown band around end of snout. Lower edge of operculum and margin of supraorbital serrated. Third and fourth dorsal and third anal spines anteriorly serrated (Ref. 2108).

Lipid stored in muscles, liver and intestine decreased during gonadal maturation and following spawning (Ref. 3655).

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; Analspines: 3; Analsoft rays: 14; Vertebrae: 24

Occurs in inshore waters of the continental shelf (Ref. 75154). Leiognathus splendens generally lives in turbid waters, and the intensity of its countershading bioluminescence appears to be an adaptation to this (Ref. 2089). Feeds on benthic invertebrates and fish (Ref. 5213) as well as on plankton (Ref. 11889).

This schooling species inhabits coastal waters. It feeds on fish, crustaceans, foraminiferans, and bivalves (Ref. 5213). The annotated bibliography of Leiognathidae by Pauly and Wade-Pauly (Ref. 4961) includes 172 references pertaining explicitly to Leiognathus splendens.

fisheries: commercial

分布於印度-西太平洋區，西起非洲東岸，北至琉球群島，南迄澳洲北部。台灣各沿海均有產。

一般漁法以底拖網、待袋網、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，背部之輪廓較腹部為凸。眼上緣具二鼻後棘。口小，可向下方伸出；上下頜僅一列細小齒；下頜輪廓稍凹；吻短而鈍。眶間隔凹入。頭部不具鱗；體完全被圓鱗；腹鰭具腋鱗，背鰭及臀鰭具鞘鱗；側線明顯，延伸至尾鰭基部。體背灰色，體側銀白色。體背具多條灰色波浪形斑紋向下延伸至側線下手。吻端具細點構成的褐色斑。背鰭第二至第六硬棘上部具黑色斑，下部色淡或黃部，軟條之鰭緣黃色；胸鰭基部及臀鰭前部淡黃色；各鰭其餘之部位色淡；尾鰭邊緣灰色到暗黃色。黑邊鰏(/Leiognathus splendens/)為其同種異名。

主要棲息於砂泥底質的沿海地區，亦可生活於河口區。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、多毛類及二枚貝為食。